Texas police and the FBI are investigating after a Black family awakened to find their cars burning and “Trump 20” spray-painted on their garage last week.
What We Know:
- Jayla Gipson and Charles Crawford stated to local media that they think the incident was brought on by a Black Lives Matter sign they placed in their yard around Thanksgiving that was damaged with red spray paint. “That sign was in my yard for less than two weeks, and then all of a sudden we get a tragedy like this,” Gipson stated to WFAA.
- Gipson told NBC News her 21-year-old son saw the fire close to midnight on Dec. 9 and ran to wake up the rest of the family, who could get out safely. She stated her 12-year-old daughter was asleep in her room near the garage where the cars were set on fire.
“It’s definitely a hate crime,” Gipson told the outlet. “‘Trump 2020’ was sprayed on our garage, our ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was spray-painted, and our cars were engulfed in flames.”
- According to a police release, the fire and police departments in Little Elm covered the scene, questioned neighbors, and examined footage from nearby cameras.
- Katie Chaumont, who is with the FBI’s Dallas office, told USA TODAY that the bureau was informed of the disturbance and is working with local law enforcement. Police Chief Rodney Harrison said to the Little Elm Journal that it’s too early to state if it was indeed a hate-crime.
- “We’re working with our federal partners to get through it, and we’re working a lot of different angles to look at what took place,” he mentioned. “We’re looking at all possible angles.”
Gipson reported that both cars were deemed a total loss, and the cost is estimated at $70,000. A GoFundMe has gathered more than $17,000 for the family so far.
