Kerry Latham may soon be a free man. Latham’s case has been dropped, according to Miriam Hernandez of ABC 7.
Latham was shot in the same incident that claimed the life of rapper Nipsey Hussle on March 31. After serving 25 years in prison, Latham wanted to get new clothes before being reunited with his family, and Nipsey decided to meet him at The Marathon clothing store to help him out.
Following the shooting, Latham, 56, was arrested for associating with a known gang member, Nipsey Hussle.
During a conversation with Nipsey’s former manager Big U, uploaded by Hampton Blu Network, Latham revealed that he could face a substantial amount of time in prison.
“They’re trying to send me back … for life,” Latham said. “Due to gang association. I was with an activist, a peacemaker in the community who was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It’s an injustice.”
Latham shared that he was picked up by authorities while at a halfway house.
“I checked myself out of the hospital because they weren’t giving me the care that I needed,” he said. “A piece of my spine was chipped off due to the bullet. So I decided to get care at the halfway house. I went back, and three parole officers told me I was under arrest. They said the orders came from someone higher up. I’m facing life in prison for being a victim.”
Latham, 56, had been incarcerated since he was 31. He says he’s not involved in crime, but he’s only been able to receive help from friends he knew in the past. Those friends are often gang members.
On April 18, Hernandez tweeted the information below.
COURT SURPRISE: Dept of Corrections dismisses case against parolee Kerry Lathan who was wounded in Nipsey Hussle shooting. CDC had earlier said that Hussle was a recorded gang member and that Lathan violated parole by talking to Hussle that day.@ABC7Courts pic.twitter.com/qrr23UqViC
— Miriam Hernandez (@abc7miriam) April 18, 2019
