Killing of Jack L. Bell Jr. in Georgia in 1948

Incident

Case summary

Jack L. Bell Jr. (1927-1948), a student and veteran, died after being struck on the head by police in Atlanta, Georgia. Bell, Ralph Phillips, and Charles Preston were arrested for burglary at a Black country club by Fulton County officers R.F. Jordan, A.E. Huggins, E.P. Hornsby, R.H. Kerr, and Ralph Holland. The officers allegedly beat them, and struck Bell on the head with a flashlight. Bell died about a week later from cerebral hemorrhaging. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

Victim(s):

Jack L. Bell Jr.


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

Ralph Holland

E. P. Hornsby

A. E. Huggins

R. F. Jordan

R. H. Kerr

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1948-02-12
Location: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Location type: private space - commercial
Allegation against victim: committing burglary

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: [ ]
Finding of no legal responsibility: [ ]

Criminal process
Arrest: [ ]
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: [ ]
Trial: [ ]
Conviction: [ ]
Sentence: [ ]

DOJ case ID:

144-19-70


Document(s):
census records - closed
death certificates - closed
federal agency records
military documents - closed
news articles - closed
Data Fields
To learn more about data fields, refer to the data dictionary.
Cite this Page
Refer to how to cite.