Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Martin and Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb announce during a news conference at the Franklin Parish Courthouse on Tuesday that Sharmeka Moffitt fabricated a story about being attacked and burned Sunday night at Civitan Park in Winnsboro. Arely D. Castillo/The News-Star

 

 

UPDATED 5:06 P.M.:

Franklin sheriff:

Sharmeka Moffitt

set herself afire

 

 

Written by

Greg Hilburn

Police have announced that they believe Sharmeka Moffitt fabricated a story about being attacked and burned Sunday night at Civitan Park in Winnsboro by three men who wrote “KKK” on the hood of her car.

 Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb said during a press conference at the Franklin Parish Courthouse this afternoon that all forensic evidence pointed toward Moffitt concocting the story and setting herself on fire.

 

“Basically we had to follow the facts,” Cobb said. “This was a disturbing case for all involved. All indications show this was a self-inflicted situation.”

 

Moffitt, 20, told police she was walking on a park trail when she was attacked and set afire by three men wearing white T-shirt hoodies. She remains at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport in critical condition.

 

Police now believe it was Moffitt who wrote “KKK” and “nigger” on the hood of her Buick LaCross with toothpaste and then set fire to herself. She told police she couldn’t identify the race of those she claimed had attacked her. She called 911 from the park.

 

Cobb and Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Martin said both Moffitt and her family still deserved the community’s prayers.

 

“This is a tragic situation,” Martin said.

__________________________ 

Black Woman, 20,

Set on Fire by

Three Men Wearing

White Hoodies

 

Oct - 23 | Posted by: admin 

 

BREAKING — UPDATE! 10-23-12 5:06 P.M.: Franklin sheriff: “Sharmeka Moffitt set herself afire” | The News Star |  http://tnsne.ws/TEVgsQ

UPDATED 10-23-2012 2:25 PM ET – DEVELOPING STORY

 

Sharmeka Moffitt

 

Sharmeka Moffitt was on a walking trail in a public city park in northeastern Louisiana. She told police she was then attacked and set on fire by three men wearing white hoods.  The men also scrawled the letters “KKK “on her car.

Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Lt. Julie Lewis says Moffitt was found with burns on more than half of her body when police responded to her 911 call Sunday night.

Moffitt extinguished the fire using water from a spigot before a police officer arrived. Lewis said the FBI is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, but that no arrests had been made as of late Monday.

Although the attackers apparently wrote the letters “KKK” on Moffitt’s vehicle, police said she was unable to determine whether the men were black or white. Local law enforcement said they were shocked at the attack at the otherwise serene park. Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Thomas said he was “devastated” by the incident.

According to the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Moffitt was on the walking trail when she was attacked at about 8 p.m. on Sunday. Initially it was reported in some outlets she was wearing a President Obama T-shirt  but this has not been confirmed.

The assailants allegedly doused her with racial epithets as well as gasoline, calling her the N-word repeatedly before scrawling the letters “KKK” on her car after they charred her body.

Sharmeka remained in critical condition on Monday at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. Her family has set up a Facebook page, “Prayers for Sharmeka Moffitt” and is soliciting prayers for the 20-year-old.

According to KNOE 8 News, the mother of Sharmeka Moffitt is now in Shreveport. Edna Moffitt says her daughter has burns on her neck, chest, arms, and legs. She added that relatives are seeking the culprit behind the crime during the investigation by law enforcement.

“I want justice and I want them to pay for what they did to my baby,” Edna Moffitt said.” Because they should not have done that to her and I want them to feel the pain that she’s feeling now.”

Edna Moffitt  believes several people are spreading false claims about her daughter during this investigation. She said some of those rumors are that she was sexually abused. The mother said it’s not true.

“They’re saying things about her that are not true, that she was raped,” the mother said. “She was not raped. She was not beaten. She was burned, 60-percent of her body.”

Edna Moffitt said her daughter has third degree burns. The victims sister, Michelle Moffitt also speaks out about the attack in the video below:

Law enforcement are continuing their investigation behind this matter. Police have asked anyone with information about the crime to call the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Department at (318) 435-4505

Relatives and friends are holding a candlelight vigil Tuesday night at Civitan Park scheduled to begin at 7. Also, they’ve started a Facebook Page in honor of the 20-year-old mother. To access that page, click this link: Prayers for Sharmeka Moffitt.

Obviously we have not arrived at a “post-racial America”?

What say you?