A tragic shooting occurred Monday of this week all over an accidental bump, according to witnesses. Police say that William Pulliam, 62, was walking to a Dollar General store in a Charleston, West Virginia neighborhood when he encountered three Black teens sitting on their porch. According to Pulliam, the teens began verbally harassing him and one of the teens flashed a gun. Pulliam stated that he went into the store to make his purchase and when he left, he encountered the teens again who proceeded to curse at him. One of th teens identified as James Means, 15, allegedly bumped into Pulliam by accident. In response, Pulliam pulled out a .380 revolver and shot the teen twice in the abdomen, killing him at the scene. Pulliam then left and went home to eat dinner and was later arrested on Tuesday for the shooting. In the criminal complaint, officers said Pulliam told them, “The way I look at it, I took another piece of trash off the street.”
Pulliam later denied making the statement to police and said that he shot the teen because he was in fear of his life. He also claimed in an interview with local media that the shooting had nothing to do with race. He is quoted as saying, “I don’t care if they’re White or Black. Nobody is going to do me like that. It doesn’t make any difference if he’s black. My God, everybody I live around over there is black. I get along with all of them, ask them.”
During his arraignment on Tuesday, he was charged with first degree murder and found out he will not be released immediately from jail. He stated in court, “I’m going to be in here til December?’ I’m going to lose my job and everything.”
The victim was described by family and friends as “funny, smart and a good friend.” He regularly attended a youth group called Dream Chasers to learn about communication skills and career development tools.
Family and friends held a vigil for James and stated that James’ name is not something that should be forgotten.
The FBI is currently investigating the shooting to determine if hate crime charges should be pursued against Pulliam. Police have stated that Pulliam displayed no remorse for his actions.
