A black young pastor and father was murdered by two perpatrators, both in their 40's, who were charged with a hate crime on Friday.
Authorities believe that the death of 30 year old Justin Peoples, a Black youth pastor, Navy veteran, and father of two was an "unprovoked" hate crime. Peoples was fatally shot and stabbed at a gas station in California last Tuesday. Two individuals have been charged for his murder.
According to the Christian Post, a release from the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said that two defendants by the name of Christina Lyn Garner and Jeremy Wayne Jones faced murder charges with a special circumstance that alleged Peoples was intentially murdered for his race, color, religion, nationality or country of origin. Another defendant by the name of Christopher Dimenco, who is 58, was arraigned on accessory charges.
On March 15, the Tracy Police Department reported that it responded to a call about a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound at a Chevron station located on North Tracy Boulevard a little past 9 p.m. Upon arrival at the scene, Peoples was found with a gunshot wound and multiple stab wounds. He was then rushed to the San Joaquin General Hospital trauma center, where he was in critical condition. The Black father and youth pastor passed away about two hours later.
"From what we've gathered, it was unprovoked, and again, a senseless act of violence," Tracy Police Chief Sekou Millington told KOVR of Peoples' death.
The 42 year old Garner and 49 year old Jones were arrested after an investigation that showed how Jones supported white supremacist ideology. Photos from the office of San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar showed Jones' tattoos, which included the words "WHITE" and "PRIDE" and an image of a skeleton embracing a swastika.
"There is no place for hate in our community. No one should be victimized because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion," Salazar said in a statement. "These types of crimes are reprehensible and my administration will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to hold those who perpetuate hate accountable."
Millington pledged to use the police force's resources to bring justice following the Black father and youth pastor's death.
NBC News reported that according to Peoples' father, Maurice, the youth pastor was working hard at two jobs to save for a house. He said that his son was at the gas station with his girlfriend to fetch quarters for laundry. The girlfriend stayed behind in the car and witnessed the suspects going into the gas station after Peoples did. However, it was unclear if there was a confrontation that led to the attack on Peoples.
Peoples grew up in Stockton and attended San Joaquin Delta College. In 2010, he joined the U.S. Navy and was medically discharged in 2011 due to ulcers. Peoples leaves behind his two sons, aged 11 and two and is described by his father as a man with a "big kind heart" and "the heart of a lion."
