A white Georgia man was arrested and indicted for making racially motivated threats and shooting at his Black neighbor.
Based on the inflammatory language he used, the Department of Justice alleged that he violated the man’s rights because of his race, which is a violation of the criminal provision of the Fair Housing Act.
Authorities say Loganville resident Mark Wheeler fired a .22 at the neighbor and his house while shouting racial slurs on May 26 in an effort to intimidate or frighten him. According to court documents, the 73-year-old expressed a desire for the person to move out of his community.
The latest census states the suburban Atlanta city is 56.4 percent white and 32 percent Black. Located in Gwinnett County, the city has a population of a little over 15,000 people.
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A grand jury charged Wheeler with one count of interfering with housing, presenting a threat by brandishing a dangerous weapon, and a second count of possessing a firearm in connection with a criminal act of violence.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office has been assigned the case and will be presenting evidence to the prosecutors to use in federal court.
The senior citizen could possibly spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. The maximum penalty for the aforementioned charges is 10 years in prison. He could be hit with a $250,000 fine for both the civil rights and firearm charges.
While the FBI has stepped in this instance of racialized intimidation, oftentimes perpetrators go unchecked.
In August, almost 33 miles from Wheeler’s hometown, another white man verbally attacked a Black person in a rage-filled racist rant.
The unidentified man approached the Black motorist’s car and started screaming N-word-laced obscenities at him.
“Two guys in a van started flicking me off and started screaming at me. That’s when he started threatening me to get out of the car and fight,” the man said in an interview about the incident.
Video of the altercation shows the Black attempting to read the name of the company listed on the man’s work uniform, asking him “Greenway? What does that say on your shirt?”
This irritated the white aggressor more.
“What does it matter what I say on my shirt? What does it say on my shirt? It says f**k you,” he barked before removing the shirt and blasting back at his target.
The victim, who chooses to remain anonymous, said he was glad he remained calm but does not seem to have received any justice.
The man in Wheeler’s case, who is identified in the indictment as M.H., might see justice if the case goes to trial or his white neighbor takes a plea deal with the prosecutor.
