Roman Ducksworth Jr.

Roman Ducksworth Jr. (1934 – April 9, 1962) was an African-American military police officer, shot and killed as a hate crime by Taylorsville, Mississippi police as he was heading to the hospital expecting his sixth child.[1][2][3]

Roman Ducksworth Jr.
Born1934 (1934)
DiedApril 9, 1962(1962-04-09) (aged 27–28)
OccupationMilitary Police Officer

Personal life

Roman Ducksworth Jr. was a military police officer stationed in Maryland, a few months short of finishing ten years service in the army.[1] During his time in service he would send gifts home to his children.[4] Ducksworth had a wife and six children, one of which was born right after his death.[1]

Death and after

On April 9, 1962 Ducksworth was traveling to a hospital to visit his sick wife and newborn child. He was sleeping on the bus when a police escorted him off due to his race and mistaking him as a freedom rider. A small tussle broke out, the officer drew his gun, and fired into Ducksworth's chest. Ducksworth's sister-in-law and her son were present as he was pronounced dead on the scene.[1][2][5][4]

Initial court proceedings attempted to label Roman as drunk, and the murder as self-defence. The murder was ruled a 'justifiable homicide', and no further justice has been taken upon the case ever since.[1] As a result of the killing, Odell Ducksworth would lose his job at a laundromat a few days later. Following that a cross was seen burning across his street and Odell's family was forced to relocate.[4]

Upon his death Ducksworth received full military honors and a 16-gun salute.[1] Roughly two thousand towns members attended his funeral.[4]

In 1989, the Southern Poverty Law Center has commemorated Roman Ducksworth as a civil rights martyr on a memorial designed by Maya Lin.[4]

References
  1. "Cpl. Roman Ducksworth Jr. Murdered While on Leave Visiting Pregnant Wife". Black Then. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  2. "Roman Ducksworth, Jr". www.justice.gov. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  3. "Roman Ducksworth Jr". Find A Grave.
  4. "The Pain Of Police Killings Can Last Decades". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  5. "Murder of Cpl. Roman Ducksworth, Jr. – MS Civil Rights Project". Retrieved 2019-10-26.
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