Yet again, another white man has been convicted of horrifically killing a Black man and is now blaming his victim for his actions.
Last week, Christopher Lee Powell, a 36-year-old white man, was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison after he fatally shot Ibrahim Malik Suárez, a Black man, in Converse, Texas in April 2021, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Later it was discovered that Powell referred to Suárez as the N-word during a 911 call where he claimed self-defense.
Video of the incident shown during Powell’s trial captured the two men getting into a confrontation as they both pumped gas at a local Texas gas station. Although the interaction initially looked heated, it seemed to end after Powell was getting ready to leave. But Suárez later stuck his middle finger at Powell in frustration, which led to the confrontation reaching a more dangerous level.
More from the Express-News:
His vehicle followed Powell’s out of the parking lot. When Powell stopped at a traffic light at FM 78 under Loop 1604 not far away, more surveillance video recorded Suárez getting out and approaching Powell’s window, having a quick exchange, then walking back to his vehicle.
Powell then rolled down his window, and something prompted Suárez to return to Powell’s vehicle, where he was shot three times, twice in the chest and once in the ear.
Suárez was unarmed. He was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center where he later died.
What made it worse was that the jury was able to hear Powell’s call to a 911 dispatcher, where he said, “N***er threatened my life.”
Powell’s attorneys argued that he suffered from PTSD after a tour in Afghanistan, and he claimed that he acted in self-defense against Suarez.
According to the Express-News, prosecuting attorneys argued that Powell did not act in self-defense because Suarez never showed any intent to do any physical harm to Powell.
That in conjunction with the use of the racial slur on the 911 call led to Powell’s conviction, though Powell has not been charged with a federal hate crime.
