Killing of Prinest McCann in Alabama in 1945
Incident
Prinest McCann (1922 - 1945), a truck driver and WWII veteran, was killed by police officer Melvin Porter in Mobile County, Alabama. McCann was walking to the grocery store to buy eggs and stopped to observe a dice game when Porter and another police officer, Patrick Gibney, drove up. Porter shot McCann twice in the head from his car window, killing him. Porter later alleged that McCann resisted arrest and attacked the officer. The FBI opened an investigation into the murder but closed the case citing insufficient evidence to overcome the police officers’ claim of self-defense. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.
Birmingham 44-88
144-3-14
advocacy group resources
- News article from the Mobile Register regarding the shooting of Prentiss McCann : 1945
- News article from the Chicago Defender regarding the shooting of Prentiss McCann : July 28, 1945
- News article from an unidentified newspaper related to equality theme
- News article from the Mobile Register regarding the shooting of Prentiss McCann : July 10, 1945
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