An Alabama mother says her son is fighting for his life because he expressed pro-police comments online. Sylacauga High School student Brian Ogle, 17, suffered a fractured skull and brain trauma after he was beaten by multiple people Friday night after a football game. Brandi Allen calls what happens to her son a "hate crime," reports WBMA, though police haven't gone that far. Brian is white, and his mother says he became a target after he posted comments in support of police after students wore Black Lives Matter shirts to school. The police chief says no current students appear to have been involved. "Black former students are the ones that assaulted the white victim in the parking lot … all because of postings that were being made on social media," Kelley Johnson tells AL.com.
Police have suspects—authorities say up to eight people were involved—but it appears that no arrests have yet been made. "I call on our pastors and community leaders to step up and help us bridge this divide between the black and white races," says Johnson in a Facebook post. "I understand that some of you are concerned that (police) will 'sweep this under the rug,' but any intelligent person should see that that is not possible." Brian has been upgraded from critical to fair condition, per the Washington Post, and is so far able to answer simple questions such as what year it is. Meanwhile, police say they responded to a fight at the school on Monday in which a friend of Brian's was the target. No injuries or arrests resulted. (More Alabama stories.)
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