In the tumultuous backdrop of the 1970 Augusta riot, a 19-year-old Black male named John Stokes, who was at times misidentified in official reports as James Stokes, lost his life. The city was a powder keg of racial tension, which had been escalating and finally exploded into widespread protests and demonstrations. Against this chaotic and charged atmosphere, Stokes, a young man who sang in his church choir, found himself drawn into the unfolding events.
On May 11, 1970, amidst the
turmoil, Stokes joined a group of other young people. As they were inside a grocery store, a police car passed by. In the ensuing moments, as the group attempted to flee, an officer fatally shot Stokes. According to witness accounts, the officers later entered the store and showed little regard for the young man's life. He was one of six Black men who were shot and killed by police during the unrest; all were found to be unarmed. Autopsy results would later reveal that all six men had been shot in the back.
The aftermath of the riot and the deaths of the six men led to an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. A federal grand jury was convened, and in September of 1970, two Augusta police officers were indicted on civil rights charges. One of the officers was specifically charged in connection with the death of Stokes. However, three months later, an all-white jury acquitted the officer of the charges. The case was later reviewed by the Department of Justice under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, where the victim was again misidentified as 'James Stokes.'
