What Happened To John Livingston?

Father of three was gunned down by the law. He was mistaken for someone else.

Once again if it wasn't for DeRay McKesson, Shaun White and Bree Newsome, you wouldn't hear the story about John Livingston.

The law placed two officers on ice after they used deadly force on a father of three after they claimed he resisted arrest and reached for the Taser.

The law called John called a "suspect" by the Sheriff's Office on Sunday, was "deceased at scene" following a confrontation with two sheriff's deputies, a new release from the department said Monday.

Authorities said John tried to grab a Taser from a deputy, according to reports cited by The Associated Press. Witnesses also said in published reports that deputies used pepper spray and a Taser on John before shooting him multiple times.

"He wasn't no suspect," said Libby Lovings, who identified herself as John's mother-in-law.

Although never married to John, her daughter, Jessika Cardwell, is the mother of his three children.

"I was in sick shock yesterday," Lovings said Monday.

She and Cardwell said the lawmen were looking for another man when, about 3:40 a.m., they approached the residence at the intersection of Stage Road and West Everett Street.

"They did not have the right person," said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "It should have stopped when they figured the person they were looking for was not there."

George Thomas, 51, who lives about 25 yards from the house where the shooting took place, said he had been there drinking beer earlier Saturday night before leaving to go to bed at about 2:30 a.m.

"I heard a gun. I heard four shots rapid fire," he said. "Police was looking for somebody else. It won't him. John told them they didn't have no search warrant. John shut the door on the police. By the time he locked the door, they kicked it in.

"They shot the wrong guy for the wrong thing," Thomas said. "Wrong guy. Wrong house. Wrong everything."

The Sheriff's Office said, as part of its standard procedure, the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. On Monday, the name of only one of the deputies, Nicholas Kehagias, was released. The Sheriff's Office said Kehagias was involved in the shooting incident.

Kehagias, who is assigned to the patrol division, has been employed as a deputy sheriff with Harnett County since July 2013, a news release said.

Typically, a law enforcement source said, a law enforcement agency only releases the name of the officer who actually discharges the weapon.

Nick Kehagias was placed in the freezer pending grand jury decision

The release did not say if Kehagias got freezer burn.

Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins could not be reached for comment.


Maj. Jeff Huber, a spokesman for the Harnett County Sheriff's Office, declined to answer questions posed by email. "The investigation is being handled by the SBI," Huber said in his reply. "Any questions should be directed to them."

SBI spokesman Shannon O'Toole said the agency could not answer any additional questions on the case. The State Bureau of Investigation, O'Toole said, should complete the probe "within a week or less."

Livingston, Lovings said, had been living in the mobile home where he was shot about three months.

"John was more of a visitor," the anonymous neighbor said.

The neighbor said he heard "like four gunshots" early Sunday morning. He said, from what he has learned, John was shot in the mouth and three times in the chest, although those details have not been confirmed by authorities.

"We heard it. Everybody heard it," said a woman who lives with the neighbor.

Lovings and Cardwell spoke from the small front deck of Lovings' mobile home, no more than a quarter-mile from the weathered brown trailer where Livingston had been living. It's a desolate area of the county, where the pot-holed roads are nothing but sand and some of the neighborhood mobile homes are abandoned, burned and even gutted.

Lovings said deputies with the Harnett County Sheriff's Office had visited her later Sunday morning.

She said they offered no apology for what transpired.

"They just said there was an altercation between John Livingston and the Harnett County sheriff's (deputies)," Lovings said. "They didn't provide any details. Just said there was an altercation and that

John Livingston was no longer with us. And I think he probably got a little mouthy.

The moment happens after this.

"Do you really need to use all that kind of force?" she asked rhetorically. "They supposedly dragged him out by the beard, started beating him, then pepper sprayed him and used a Taser gun on him, and then shot him."

Lovings said the family "definitely" wants to speak to an attorney in hopes of pursuing "some kind of justice."

John, who was originally from Beckley, West Virginia, worked as a carpenter and framer.

Cardwell, who is 33, said she first met him when she was 16. "We were together a long time," she said.

He also leaves behind three children: John III, 14; Kandis, 11; and Cameron, 8.

"He was the greatest father you could imagine," Cardwell said, becoming emotional at the thought.

"So kind-hearted. All the kids around here loved him. John had the best personality. Where he went, he would light up the party."

World News Today send our condolences to the family of John Livingston.

The Long Hot Summer.....

The South rocked by possible arson at predominately Black churches.

First things first, we start of the month of July with the report of the Klan making a trip to Columbia, South Carolina to protest the proposal to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.

Then there was a disturbance in which a man instigated a riot near the capitol grounds. The man was a supporter of the Confederate flag and he deliberately drove through to taunt the Black protesters.

That situation managed to attract the conservative Craigslist attention. After all, what could spook White folks more than a man being pummeled by a bunch of Black people.

Conservatives would find #BLACKLIVESMATTER hashtag merged with #RACIALMOBVIOLENCE

Then we have unexplained Black church burns in the South.

Macon, Memphis, Tallahassee, Warrenville, S.C. , Knoxville, and Charlotte were the scene where possible burns may have been the works of White extremists.

The FBI and state authorities are trying to connect the dots. Could this have been a hate crime?

Since that White terrorist killed nine innocent victims at Emmanuel AME Church, the calls for gun control and the removal of the Confederate flag have gotten louder.

BREAKING: GAY MARRIAGE LEGAL IN THE U.S.!

Anthony Kennedy joined the liberal justices Steven Breyer, Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor in an extremely historical decision. The gay marriage bans in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Florida and Texas are gone. The United States Supreme Court ruled, gay marriage the law of the land.

A HUGE DAY IN AMERICA FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY! THE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT THE STATE BANS ON GAY MARRIAGE ARE ILLEGAL.

GAY MARRIAGE AND GAY ADOPTION ARE NOW LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES.

HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE IN THE COUNTRY.

THE ROBERTS COURT FINALLY WENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!

A big day in the Supreme Court. The legality of marriage is now equal for all.

In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that all state mandated gay marriage bans are discriminatory.

Win for the LGBT community.

The decision is a historic victory for gay rights activists who have fought for years in the lower courts. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already recognize marriage equality. The remaining 13 states ban these unions, even as public support has reached record levels nationwide.

The justices found that under the 14th Amendment, states must issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex unions that were legally performed in other states.

The lead plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges is Ohio resident Jim Obergefell, who wanted to be listed as the surviving spouse on his husband's death certificate. In 2013, Obergefell married his partner of two decades, John Arthur, who suffered from ALS. Arthur passed away in October of that year, three months after the couple filed their lawsuit.

Obergefell was joined by several dozen other gay plaintiffs from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee who were fighting both to be able to marry and to have their marriage recognized in every state in the country.

Family matters. The Supreme Court made a historical decision on gay marriage.

The country's views of same-sex marriage have transformed since 2004, when Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay couples to wed. In 2013, the Supreme Court began chipping away at the country's legacy of discrimination against same-sex couples when it struck down part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented same-sex couples whose marriages were recognized by their home state from receiving the hundreds of benefits available to other married couples under federal law.

President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to support marriage equality when he came out in favor of it in 2012, the same year that the Democratic Party made it part of its platform for the first time. The Republican Party and its slate of 2016 presidential aspirants, however, remain opposed to same-sex marriage. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) support a constitutional amendment protecting states that want to ban marriage equality.

Some conservatives have advocated for a civil disobedience effort against a Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage. However, officials in red states told The Huffington Post recently that they are prepared to implement the decision, going so far as to ready gender-neutral marriage licenses and set later office hours. Gerard Rickhoff, who oversees marriage licenses in Bexar County, Texas, said that if same-sex couples are discriminated against elsewhere in the state, "Just get in your car and come on down the highway. You'll be embraced here."

Thrilled #SCOTUS has recognized the right to marriage for all Americans, regardless of who they love pic.twitter.com/4RgesBbnkJ

— Rosa DeLauro (@rosadelauro) June 26, 2015

RT @MTV: It’s Official: #SCOTUS Has Ruled In Favor Of Nationwide Marriage Equality: http://t.co/icYmMd5Kzg pic.twitter.com/N6AwfkvEcS

— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) June 26, 2015

.@sarahkateellis and @antigonerising are celebrating today's #SCOTUS ruling with Kate and Thomas! pic.twitter.com/itHVitigzP

— GLAAD (@glaad) June 26, 2015

To all the conservative bigots who tried to stop today from happening. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/yk36RZSLnu

— Matt Morgan (@Matt7022) June 26, 2015

Engraved on #SCOTUS is ‘equal justice under the law.’ Today’s historic ruling upholds this pledge of equality for all! #LoveCantWait

— Rep. Robert J. Dold (@RepDold) June 26, 2015

President Barack Obama will be heading to Charleston soon but before he goes, he may deliver a speech on the court decision.

Why Would You Fly The Flag Of A Losing Side?

Black activists light up the Confederate flag. This will rile up extremists. 

The South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is a prominent Republican lawmaker. She is one of the youngest and most attractive women to hold office. A woman of great prominence is dealing with a controversy.

In the wake of a mass shooting at a historically Black church in Charleston, Haley must decide on taking measures to ensure her residents that she's got everything under control.

 Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) are the only two Black lawmakers representing South Carolina. 

For a woman of color, it should be a no brainer. She should acknowledge that a portion of her state's residents have some extremists views.

As you know many White southerners fly the Confederate flag as a homage to those who fought in the Civil War. They may think of it as heritage, I look at the flag as a disgrace to America. Why on earth would anyone fly the flag of the losing team?

In downtown Charleston, protesters deface statues dedicated to the Confederate soldiers.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports police dispatchers were tipped off to the vandalism around late this afternoon.

Another message, “This is the problem #racist,” also was spray-painted on “To the Confederate Defenders of Charleston — Fort Sumter.”

The damage was reported to police dispatchers just after 12:30 p.m. The statue was covered up by residents who wrapped a large tarp around it about 1:30 p.m.

Two signs were placed on the tarp after the graffiti was covered up. One said, “All lives matter #charlestonunited,” and the other said, “Take down racist statues.”

The incident occurred in the wake of the fatal shooting Wednesday of nine black people inside Emanuel AME Church in what police say was an attack by a white supremacist. The church held its first service since the shootings on Sunday.

The attack has led to a nationwide call for South Carolina to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds. At least 1,000 people gathered Saturday in Columbia to call for the flag to be taken down. Numerous petitions also call for the flag’s removal.

The statue caused a stir downtown Sunday as several individuals began arguing about the battle flag. Zachary Gaither of Charleston helped cover the graffiti on the statue and said he did not associate the flag with racism.

South Carolina is facing heat over its embracing of the Confederacy.

“I was covering up something that was demoting our city,” he said of the graffiti, adding, “the Confederate flag is a Southern heritage of pride to me.”

Tighe Berry, who is from out of town but wouldn’t say where, argued for the graffiti to be left up.

“That was a disgusting war that was to separate this country to keep an institution of hatred, racism and violence and slavery,” he said.

Madea Benjamin of Washington, D.C., put up the sign encouraging the statue to be taken down.

“It’s important for this state to say we don’t support white supremacy, we don’t promote pro-hatred groups or symbols,” she said.

The Confederate flag is sort of like the Swastika flag. It's symbolically a historical failure.

Already the agitators are outraged at DeRay McKesson.

McKesson has been effective in his protests and they hate him like they hate Rev. Perm. He promise more protests in the wake of the shooting.

Ever since McKesson appeared on that network that may have inspired that racist shooter to kill those nine innocent lives, he's been a target of conservative ire. McKesson plans on making an appearance in Charleston.

The pot called the kettle black. Here's a concern troll on the social media who claims that President Barack Obama and Rev. Perm should stay away.

The Citizens of #Charleston Unites To Start The Healing 👉 @Deray 's Kryptonite #GoHomeDeray #TheNationLovesYou 🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/hzAZAH8Fzq

— The Patriot (@ThePatriot143) June 19, 2015

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) are two elected members of Congress. One is a Black Democrat and the other is a Black Republican.

They have both express sadness over this. But however, they both have a different view of the Confederate flag being flown at the state house in Columbia.

There's an active movement to have the flag formally removed from the state house.

Allegedly activists defaced the Confederate soldiers monument.

Do you believe that the Confederate flag is sign of heritage or a symbol of racism?

Duke professor: Blacks riot because they’re lazier than Asians and have ‘strange’ un-American names

Duke professor: Blacks riot because they’re lazier than Asians and have ‘strange’ un-American names

With a bigot like him, it's no wonder why Moral Mondays in  N.C. and the nation are necessary.

#istandwithsaidagrundy

Go figure!