Smith is the second activist following the shooting of Hazma 'Travis' Nagdy, to be murdered in the wake of Breonna Taylor demonstrations and a surge of gun violence in the city.
The tragic shooting of Kris Smith in Louisville, Kentucky signals a disturbing string of Black Lives Matter protesters whose lives have been lost to gun violence or mysterious deaths.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, Smith, 42, was fatally shot on Friday. His body was discovered inside of a car and ID’d by a local chaplain. There are no suspects in custody.
Smith is the second activist following the shooting of Hazma ‘Travis’ Nagdy, to be murdered in the wake of Breonna Taylor demonstrations and a surge of gun violence in the city. He was added to the over 150 people who were killed in Louisville in the past year.
Kris Smith, a business owner and prominent protester, was shot and killed Friday in Louisville.
His death comes less than three weeks after Travis Nagdy, a fellow protest leader, was killed.https://t.co/wn9tVtoJ8P pic.twitter.com/DqZvkG12zi
— Bailey Loosemore (@bloosemore) December 11, 2020
In his community Smith was known as an activist and blossoming business owner who was able to transform his life out of devastating circumstances.
“Just like everybody else, he was finding his niche, finding his voice” at the protests, his friend Stachelle Bussey told the Courier Journal. “We’re mourning one, then we lose another. … With Travis, I lost a brother. Today we lost another one.”
Kris Smith was 42. I remember meeting him in early June and talking a long time about the protests, policing and life. Smith was live-streaming the night David McAtee was shot and killed by law enforcement. A photo of Smith from November. https://t.co/QL3qgscaYI pic.twitter.com/dQWoxTuMui
— Matt Stone (@mattstonephotog) December 11, 2020
Smith grew up in poverty on the city’s West End, where he was placed in foster care as a teen after shoplifting. At the age of 18, he was jailed after selling imitation crack-cocaine, completing a 10-year bid after the people he sold to accused him of robbery and assault. In 2015, a few years after he was released on his way to a convenience store he shot one of two men who had fired into a crowd, which ultimately saving lives. But because of his former conviction, he was sent to prison where he spent almost four years.
Last year Smith opened up a local business Family Ties Security Group and formed an organization to mentor youth in Louisville called the Louisville Phoenix Initiative.
The protests surrounding Taylor was where Smith found a community among other organizers calling attention to the 26-year-old EMT and the shooting of David McAtee.
Smith is the third of his mother’s children to die in the past year. His brother succumbed to a heart attack last year and his sister lost her battle with Parkinson’s sometime this year.
While police say the shootings are unrelated, they point to a growing number of former activists and protests leaders who have lost their lives under unforeseen circumstances. The killing of activists in Louisville follows a similar pattern in Ferguson where at least six organizers were killed or found dead following the Mike Brown shooting and subsequent investigation.
Louisville Metro Police are looking for a 4-door, Black Dodge truck with chrome trimming and tires in the back. Anyone with information that may lead to an arrest is being asked to contact the LMPD at 502-574-LMPD.
SEE ALSO:
21-Year-Old Breonna Taylor Protest Leader Hazma ‘Travis’ Nagdy Killed In Fatal Shooting
Tyler Perry Donates $100,000 To Legal Defense Fund For Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend
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