Two white men in Indiana were charged with assault on Friday for allegedly attacking a black man in the woods on July 4.
Monroe County District Attorney Erika Oliphant said Jerry Edward Cox, 38, and Sean Purdy, 44, have been charged with assault, among other charges, each in the alleged attack on Vauhxx Booker, of 36 years. The alleged attack took place near Lake Monroe, just south of Bloomington, Ind.
On their Facebook account, Booker said that during the alleged incident, Cox and Purdy told the people they were with “to rope.” Booker continued, saying he was attacked by five white men “who literally threatened to lynch me.”
Purdy reportedly told investigators that he had told Booker that he was on private land around Lake Monroe and that Booker hit him.
State investigators concluded in their report that Cox, Purdy and Booker were all guilty of a crime, and explained that Booker could be charged with minor battery and trespassing. Purdy was charged with three felonies, while Cox was charged with two felonies and a couple of misdemeanors.
The FBI is conducting a separate investigation into the incident, according to The New York Times.
Arrest warrants have been issued for both Cox and Purdy, but it is unclear if they have already been detained.
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