NEW: Frank Melvin was shot dead in Newark, New Jersey, in December 1981. Melvin was a longstanding member of the Guardian Angels, the volunteer crime prevention group known for their distinctive red berets. He was killed by a single bullet fired by a Newark police officer.
According to the police, Melvin, who was Black, was accidentally killed by Hispanic patrolman Milton Medina in a terrible case of mistaken identity. According to the Guardian Angels, Melvin was deliberately killed by a different cop, Donald Karas, who was white.
According to the Guardian Angels, a Black civilian had been killed by a white cop, and the police were undertaking a "deliberate cover-up" of a racially motivated killing. The shooting and the fight for justice, led by Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, had dramatic consequences.
Death of an Angel: Did a White Cop Kill a Black Guardian Angel?
The police said it was an accident. The Guardian Angels accused them of covering up a racially-motivated murder. Who shot Frank Melvin? Read (or listen to) the full story here:
medium.com/longium-longform/death-of-an-angel-did-a-white-cop-kill-a-black-guardian-angel-a3818c8f5a89?sk=758db25a7c79a8af6ec6965dd1aed58a
Paul Brown
@paulbrownUK
Writes about stuff: history, football, true crime, rocketbelts. New book: The Tyne Bridge: tynebridgebook.com Newsletter: singulardiscoveries.com