On this day three years ago, a Missouri teen went to a party and never returned home. Instead, he was found dead from a gunshot wound. While investigators concluded his death was a suicide, his family still believes his death was a racially-motivated murder.
Deronatae Martin, 19, rode with a classmate to a home in Fredericktown, Missouri, for a prom after party April 25, 2021. Around 3 a.m. police say shots were heard from inside the attic of the home. One witness told the police they saw Martin shoot himself after displaying paranoid behavior from a series of drugs in his system, per The AP. However, the report says one witness claimed a man later confessed to being the shooter. They “didn’t like N-words” was the alleged rationale.
That alleged suspect was the owner ofthe home: a white man who allegedly touted racist rhetoric online, Martin’s family claimed. The report says on the unnamed man’s social media, you’ll find confederate flags, insults to foreign accents and a picture of a middle finger with the caption “Here’s my apology for being white.”
Additionally, Martin’s family also paid for an independent autopsy that revealed Martin was shot from a distance.
The very thought of Martin dying by the hands of someone else led the FBI to launch an investigation. However, Wednesday, investigators came to a conclusion that ruled out any possibility of foul play.
Source: Derontae Martin’s Mysterious Death Still Ain’t Sittin’ Right With Us … FBI Claims Otherwise
