The aforementioned incident involved 31-year-old Johnny “JJ” Montgomery being murdered in cold blood at the hands of a suspected white supremacist by the name of Michael James Gobert. Mr. Montgomery and two friends (also both Black) were visiting the home of a white woman by the name of Nicole Carroll on the evening of October 20, at a mobile home next door to the mobile home of none other than Gobert, who is Carroll’s stepfather.

When their visit to Carroll’s home took a turn for the worse because of one of the young Melanoid men’s alleged dispute over what is said to be a discussion of graphic implications, it was the late Montgomery–who was not in confrontation with Carroll–who attempted to de-escalate the situation by convincing his friends to leave, only to have been shot dead by Gobert.

Seven months later, on the afternoon of Friday, May 27, 2016, Gobert was convicted of felony murder. Gobert is facing life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. Gobert’s victim, JJ Montgomery, was a loving father who left behind not only his children, but also his entire family that includes his father, Johnny Montgomery. The elder Montgomery serves as pastor of a church in nearby Dalton, GA.

B. Clark