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The man who was identified in a Facebook Live video at Atlanta’s Opera nightclub has now spoken out in his defense through his legal counsel.
Last week we all heard about the story of a young woman who claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted by a male dance companion at the popular Opera Nightclub in Midtown Atlanta.
The accused male companion, Dominique Williams, denied through his attorney Shequel Ross of SHElaw that he sexually assaulted or drugged the alleged victim.
Ross indicated she has seen the video multiple times along with other videos from the club and that her social media team is also combing through the videos as well.
In the video, the alleged victim seems to be panicking and frantic as she claims to be raped while crying out for help. Ross is adamant about her client’s innocence of the accusations of rape and drugging.
“I cannot tell you what happened [on the night of the alleged attack] but I can tell what didn’t happen is a rape. I can tell you what didn’t happen was a sexual assault,” Ross said.
Ross says that, in light of what has been seen in the video, there are no grounds for an arrest, much less imprisonment.
“What is not going on is a warrant from the police department or a grand jury warrant from the (Fulton County) District Attorney’s Office,” Ross continued. “No charges have been filed based on that video.”
The alleged incident on Jan. 19 sparked a fierce social media backlash against the male and resulted in days of protests outside the nightclub.
Ross said adamantly and unequivocally that, “there are no facts that support [that] my client drugged this young woman nor is there probable cause to make an arrest.” Ross added that Williams does not buy or do drugs and also has custody of his children and served in the U.S. military.
When she was asked that some cannot believe that she as a woman is representing Williams against the accuser, Ross said she believes “everyone needs someone who will fight for them. I believe everybody deserves truth, and I believe everybody deserves honesty,” she said.
Furthermore, Ross said, if something illegal or violent was happening around the alleged victim, then those around her would have immediately done something to stop it.
“Everybody deserves a type of person who’s going to fight for them as if it was their brother as well. I believe my client and I believe those videos. I believe the fact that if something did occur, I also believe that those around wouldn’t have stood around,” Ross said.
“We are in a movement right now, where everything a male is accused of doing, those standing around would alert someone. Those standing around would have called the police. Those standing around would have made it known that ‘hey, something is not right. Something is going on that should not be going on,’ ” Ross continued.
Ross said she has meticulously combed through the evidence, which includes the social media postings by the alleged herself. She said it was not very likely that woman who had just been sexually assaulted would enter a high-energy “twerking” contest.
“I actually did see that video. Me as a woman, the thoughts I were thinking after that were, if someone who had just been allegedly raped, why would you enter into a twerk contest?” Ross asked rhetorically.
“For all of you who do not know what ‘twerking’ means, it is a high-powered, sexual, sensual, energetic dance which has a lot of movement, you move in a certain type of manner. If you have just been raped, I’m not too sure if that is the type of movement that you would be doing.
“I have never entered a ‘twerk’ contest, and I want to be sensitive for those who have been sexually abused, molested or raped. That’s not something a woman who just got raped would do. Don’t get me wrong, there are those who say she was drugged and might be acting that way or she was not drugged and should not be acting that way. … I am for finding the truth and the truth is my client has not been charged with any type of crime,” Ross said.
“Mr. Williams has been in contact with us. We have been in full communication and cooperation when it comes to the police department,” she said. “I cannot really get into it, because there is a full-fledged ongoing investigation from my office as well as the police department as well as (the attorney for the alleged victim), but Mr. Williams has spoken to the police. We have been in communication and full cooperation with the police,” Ross said.
