In the turbulent spring of 1970 in Augusta, Georgia, a season of simmering racial tension boiled over, tragically claiming the life of 18-year-old William Wright Jr. An African American male, Wright was a basketball player and a fan of wrestling. On the evening of May 11, 1970, he had plans to take his girlfriend to a wrestling match, a simple teenage pleasure that would be overshadowed by the city's unrest.
The atmosphere in Augusta was heavy with unease following the death of Charles Oatman, a mentally disabled Black teenager who had died in custody after a severe beating in the county jail. Protests that began on May 10th escalated into widespread demonstrations by the next day, with some protestors resorting to burning and looting businesses.
Amidst this turmoil, Wright found himself out in the streets with friends, drawn by the unfolding 'excitement.' His mother had seen him earlier and warned him to stay away from the volatile areas. Later that evening, he and his friends were watching the looting of a gas station when police arrived, causing the group to scatter. As Wright fled, first walking and then running for cover, a policeman reportedly took aim and fired, striking the unarmed teenager in the back. William Wright Jr. was the youngest of six Black men who lost their lives to gunfire during the riot that day. Autopsy reports would later show that all six men had been shot in the back.
In the aftermath of the violence, both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI launched inquiries into the deaths. While the state ultimately declined to press charges, a federal grand jury in September 1970 indicted two Augusta police officers, William S. Dennis and Louis C. Dinkins, on civil rights charges. Dennis was tried for the fatal shooting of another of the six victims, John Stokes, but was acquitted by an all-white jury. Dinkins was also acquitted of charges related to the non-fatal shooting of a Black teenager during the protests.
For decades, the deaths of William Wright Jr. and the five other men remained a painful, unresolved chapter in Augusta's history. In 2019, Wright's case, along with others from that era, was included in a list of cases being reviewed by the Department of Justice under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, indicating that the quest for a full accounting of the events of that day had not been entirely forgotten. However, there is no public record of any further charges or convictions specifically related to the death of William Wright Jr.
