BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Attorneys for two people allegedly involved in an assault at Lake Monroe over July 4th weekend spoke to the public on Monday afternoon about the incident.
Vauhxx Booker, a Black man, claims he was attacked and held against his will by a group of white men.
Booker posted videos taken by himself and others of the incident on his Facebook page. Booker’s attorney, Katherine Liell, says the FBI is investigating the case as a possible hate crime.
Both Sean Purdy and Caroline McCord, two of the people in question, have been identified in the video.
David Hennessy, attorneys for the two, said that Booker has "created a false narrative that he is perpetuating with the media, and in doing so, Mr. Booker is harming innocent people. Those innocent people have passed polygraphs. We challenge Mr. Booker to take one."
The attorneys even offered to pay the cost of Booker taking a polygraph.
The attorneys said Booker was the instigator and threatened to use his position in the community to ruin their clients. They said Booker got into McCord's face and when Purdy intervened, Booker hit him three times.
The attorneys said their clients did not say anything about white power or lynching. The attorneys claim that McCord actually said abuse of power because they say Booker was claiming to be a county commissioner.
The attorneys say the property is owned by the McCords and that Booker eventually left but came back hours later.
"But he comes and he asserts and claims to be a county commissioner and says he's going to fine these people. He declares he's going to ruin their lives," said Hennessy.
The attorneys said there is more video and Booker was simply restrained after hitting Purdy. They said Booker has shown no sign of his injuries or ripped out hair.
They said their clients are cooperating with the FBI and have done interviews with investigators.
"Apologize to the real victims of racial injustice and racism because you diminish them when it didn't happen, but you use your race to create what he has created," Hennessy said.
Booker is chair of the Monroe County Affordable Housing Commission and a member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission.
Booker claims there had been words exchanged between the two groups earlier in the day and he had gone to smooth things out.
He said he was hit, had hair torn out and held against a tree.
"When you have people's hands around your neck and you hear them yell to get a noose, suddenly racism takes on a whole different meaning," he said. "I wasn't on private property. Even if I was, it would be reprehensible for someone to attack me. For five men to pin me down and threaten to get a noose while I was pinned against a tree."
Booker's attorney, Katharine Leill, released this statement in response:
"We listened as you did to the press conference which was held by the attorney’s for Caroline McCord and Sean Purdy and the other people in the group who on July 4th, Independence Day pinned Vauhxx Booker against a tree and shouted vile racist epithets at him. Sean Purdy and Caroline McCord did not speak to the press. Why not? They did not apologize for the way they treated Vauhxx Booker as can be seen on the video tape. Mr. Booker did not instigate this encounter; he did not provoke anyone to hold him against his will. He did not yell or shout or lose his temper. He doesn’t need to take a polygraph test. Look at the video. There are witnesses who saw Sean Purdy’s aggression and who heard the racist slurs of his friends. You cannot provoke racism. It’s Vauhxx Booker who called 911 after he was attacked. This is what repeatedly happens…. the victim gets blamed and shamed. He gets re-victimized. Vauhxx Booker is the victim. Black people across the nation have been the victims. This afternoon while attorney’s for the suspects in the attack on Mr. Booker were meeting with the press, Vauhxx Booker was meeting with the FBI who have officially opened a hate crime investigation. On one thing we agree. It is time for arrests. It is time for the Monroe County Prosecutor to file charges against the offenders who threatened to lynch Mr. Booker. It is time these offenders, who pulled out pieces of Vauhxx Booker’s hair and who gave him a concussion, are held accountable by the law."