Young Mother Murdered by Black Lives Matter Protester After Saying 'All Lives Matter'
Jessica Doty Whitaker, 24, shot dead in Indianapolis after row with BLM protesters
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A young mother has been shot dead in Indianapolis, Indiana, after reportedly saying "all lives matter" during a row with Black Lives Matter protesters.
24-year-old Jessica Doty Whitaker was gunned down in front of her fiancé following the dispute with BLM supporters over the Fourth of July weekend.
Ms. Whitaker was taking a stroll with her fiancé, Jose Ramirez, and two others near the Indianapolis Canal Walk on July 5 at around 3 am.
Mr. Ramirez says that the four of them were hanging out when they passed by a group of Black Lives Matter protesters, Fox 59 reports.
Ramirez alleged that the group of protesters shouted “Black Lives Matter” at them, to which either Whitaker or someone else in their group reportedly responded by saying “all lives matter.”
But the group of protesters, reportedly comprising of four men and one woman, objected to hearing the phrase and a confrontation ensued between the two sets of strangers.
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A brief argument followed until both sides separated after realizing the other was armed, Fox 59 reported.
Ramirez claimed that both sides managed to resolve the argument before separating.
But minutes later, someone reportedly opened fire from a nearby bridge, striking Whitaker, before running away, the station said.
“It was squashed, and they went up the hill and left we thought, but they were sitting on St. Clair waiting for us to come under the bridge and that’s when she got shot,” Ramirez said.
"I was actually holding her when it happened. She just fell," he said.
Ramirez admitted to returning fire but did not hit anyone.
Whitaker was rushed to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
"I'm never going to get to hold her again," the victim's mother, Arlena Doty, said.
"I just want the people who are responsible to be held accountable."
Before her death, Whitaker was a home health nurse who planned to attend school in August and get married next year.
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She leaves behind a three-year-old son named Greyson.
"Just justice. For us, mostly for him," said Ramirez.
"He's got a mom he probably won't even remember when he gets older."
Ramirez, when speaking to Fox 59, was overcome with emotions and became tearful when speaking about his fiancée.
He told Fox 59 that he has had to explain what happened to Whitaker’s 3-year-old son.
“It’s hard to tell him his mom is in heaven and if you want to talk to her you have to look up and say, ‘I love you mom,’” Ramirez said.
Police have yet to locate a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting.
The shooting marks the second homicide in the canal in a week.
Police say they will increase patrols there during overnight hours.
