JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The family of a black man who
authorities say was run over by a white teenager in a truck is suing over the
alleged hate crime.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Mississippi accuses
seven white teenagers of setting out on June 26 in search of a black man to
harass.
A defendant in the lawsuit, Deryl Dedmon, is
charged with capital murder and robbery in the death of 49-year-old James Craig
Anderson.
Authorities say Dedmon intentionally ran over
Anderson with a pickup truck in Jackson on June 26.
Dedmon was scheduled for a preliminary hearing
Tuesday on the criminal charges.
Another defendant in the lawsuit, John Aaron Rice,
is charged with assault.
Their attorneys say they were not involved in a
racially-motivated attack.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
