Jake Gardner, a 38-year old bar owner from Omaha, Nebraska was found dead in Hillsboro, Oregon by police from a self-inflicted gunshot wound about 12:20 p.m. on Sunday.
Gardner indicted on manslaughter and three other felony charges by a grand jury in Omaha in the May 30 fatal shooting of 22-year-old James Scurlock had planned to turn himself in according to his lawyers Stu Dornan and Tom Monaghan. Gardner a former Marine got into an altercation with protesters after his father was violently shoved to the ground.
Surveillance video shows Gardner and two black lives matter protestors talking until the two protestors began to edge closer to Gardner who then brandishes his firearm and tells the protestors to not come closer.
One protester, a man in a black t-shirt and blue jeans with black hair pulled into a ponytail first pushed what is assumed to be an associate of Gardner while the other protester a man wearing a camouflage hoodie and tan pants also advanced towards Gardner.
As the men started attacking Gardner, he pulled out his firearm and fired two shots, both men ran off. Moments later James Scurlock can be seen on video surveillance jumping on the back of Gardner.
Gardner claimed that Scurlock was choking him despite him pleading with Scurlock to “get off me.” Towards the end of the altercation Gardner switched the gun to his left hand, firing it over his shoulder at Scurlock killing him.
Douglas County Attorney Don Klein ruled that Gardner’s actions were justified and acted in self-defense however grand jurors, ruled out self-defense as justification. His attorneys Dornan and Monaghan said Gardner lost his bar, home and his livelihood after his landlord terminated his lease and was about to lose his freedom.
Gardner’s suicide had been blamed on a mixture of events caused by behavioral health issues caused by head trauma he experienced during his time in the military, the belief that people wanted to kill him and rushed to judgement by people on social media. His attorneys revealed that Gardner suffered two traumatic brain injuries while serving two tours in Iraq.
The Honezt Texan 