Police in Atlanta arrested three suspects for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old and shaving the word “gay” into his hair in an attack that was posted on social media.
Authorities arrested Jordan Jarrode Richards-Nwankwo, 18; Lorkeyla Jamia Spencer, 19, and Brittney Monique Mills, 35. Richards-Nwankwo, who was charged with cruelty to children and battery, was released after posting a $50,000 bond on Sunday. The other two suspects remain in custody at the Fulton County Jail, according to NBC News.
Gaye Magazine last month published footage of the attack on Instagram.
“You still doing gay s—,” a man appears to tell the boy.
The camera then shows the word “gay” shaved into the boy’s scalp.
“You think this on the side of your head for no reason, is that what you think?” the man said before aggressively slapping the boy in the side of his head. “So why you just say that gay a– s—?”
The same man would go on to continue to hit and shove the boy while still recording.
“Investigators were made aware of video posted on social media that depicted what appeared to be a young male who was being abused and it appeared he was being abused because of his sexual orientation,” said Atlanta Police Sgt. John Chafee. “We’re pleased with the feedback that we got from the community assisting with this.”
Even for police officers who have seen their share of cruel crimes, this incident in particular was tough for Chafee to watch.
“This was a difficult video to watch when you see someone … a young person being abused like this,” he said.
After receiving numerous tips from the public, police “were able to find the incident location and identify the juvenile and he was placed in the care of the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services,” police said.
