Cops: Couple Fatally Ran Down Black Teen in Hate Crime

There was some sort of altercation before the fatal incident
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 13, 2016 6:58 PM CDT
Cops: Couple Fatally Ran Down Black Teen in Hate Crime
This undated photo provided by the Multnomah County Sheriff's office shows Russell Courtier. Courtier and his girlfriend, Colleen Hunt, accused of intentionally running down a black teen after an altercation in a convenience store parking lot face new hate crime charges for targeting the victim because...   (Uncredited)

An Oregon man and his girlfriend accused of intentionally running down a black teen after an altercation in a convenience store parking lot face new hate crime charges alleging they targeted the victim because of his race, the AP reports. Russell Orlando Courtier, 38, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of first- and second-degree intimidation in the death of Larnell Malik Bruce, court documents say. Colleen Hunt, 35, who was in the passenger seat, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree intimidation. Under Oregon law, a charge of intimidation means the defendants are accused of acting based on their perception of the victim's race, color, religion or disability. The two had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in the death of 19-year-old Bruce, of Vancouver, Washington.

Last month, The Portland Mercury raised questions about Courtier's possible affiliation with a white supremacist group after finding pictures on his Facebook page that show him with a tattoo of "EK," which stands for European Kindred. At the time, authorities had not charged him or Hunt with a hate crime, but were investigating. Gresham police said Tuesday the defendants' "clear ties" to a white supremacist gang were initially not enough to charge them with a hate crime. Additional investigation, including more witness interviews and input from experts on white supremacists, led a grand jury to re-indict the couple Monday. According to court documents, Bruce and Courtier got into an argument that turned physical outside a Gresham 7-Eleven on Aug. 10. Bruce was armed with a machete. It still isn't clear what the two were fighting about, but moments later Courtier jumped in his 1991 Jeep Wrangler and chased down Bruce as the teen ducked and wove through the parking lot on foot, according to an affidavit for probable cause. Surveillance video shows the Jeep turning around rapidly and accelerating toward Bruce as he tries to flee. Click for more. (More hate crime stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X