|||Colin Mulvany /The Spokesman-Review |||
Two Spokane, Washington men have been arrested following a heinous attack on a black man. Jason Edward Cooper, 32, and Donald Lucas Prichard, 36, were arrested Monday after beating a black man, putting a gun to his head and shooting up his home. Norris Cooley, 66, was punched in the face and held at gunpoint late Sunday night according to police.
The acts of the two men have been labeled a hate crime and both men appeared in court Tuesday on charges of first-degree assault and malicious harassment which falls under a hate crime ordinance. The two criminals are currently held in Spokane County Jail. Police said in a press release, "The victim of the shooting was a black/African American male. One suspect had called him racial slurs, punched him in the face, and threatened him with a gun."
Spokane Police say they worked "nearly 24 hours straight" to apprehend the criminals because they "are aware of the negative impact incidents like this can have on our community." Police also confirmed, "Cooper made statements, and had body markings supportive of white supremacy." Phil Tyler, former president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter, gave a press conference Wednesday where he urged citizens to report hate crimes.
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Source: http://komonews.com/news/local/police-2-spokane-men-charged-with-hate-crime-after-attack-on-neighbor
