MEMPHIS – A weekend murder of a black man named Alvin Motley at a Kroger gas station in Memphis now caught the attention of prominent national civil rights lawyers and organizations, and the family members of the man killed told reporters Tuesday that Motley was almost blind, unarmed, and not one Threat.
A security guard is charged with arguing over loud music with Motley, 48, and then fatally shooting him. Lawyers working with the family said they wanted immediate civil settlement negotiations with food giant Kroger and a third-party company that employed the security guard.
And a state official said Tuesday afternoon that security guard Gregory Livingston was not licensed. “Mr. Livingston has not been and is not a security guard,” Kevin Walters, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, wrote in an email.
He wrote that Livingston originally applied for an armed security guard license in 2017 but the registration card was not issued because the applicant did not meet all of the requirements. He was never licensed, wrote Walters.
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Livingston had made a new application on August 2nd. “His application was denied for violating the law to work as an armed guard without a registration card,” wrote Walters.
Well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined Motley’s family members in a press conference Tuesday to denounce the murder as another example of the murder of unarmed black men.
“Nobody has the right to kill a young black man for making music!” said Crump. “I don’t care how loud you think, you have no right to kill a young black man for making music.”
Security guard Gregory Livingston faces second degree murder charges in Saturday’s shootings at a Kroger Fuel Center.
Livingston does not yet have a lawyer listed in the online court records. He remains in prison awaiting his next trial on August 16.
Crump and his family met with Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich early that day.
Van Turner, a Shelby County commissioner, attorney, and president of the local NAACP, said the group was seeking a conviction for the second degree murder. And he urged the companies involved – Kroger and the security company – to come quickly to a table to discuss an agreement.
Crump also drew a parallel between Motley’s death and the shooting of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old who was killed by Michael David Dunn in Jacksonville, Florida in 2012. In this case, Crump said, Dunn was also angry with a black person who played music. Dunn was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
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After Crump’s remarks, the family members, one at a time, approached the pulpit to paint a portrait of Motley’s life.
Alvin Motley Sr. described his son as a man who loved his family. The Motley family, he said, is a large, close-knit family based in Memphis and Chicago. Motley Jr. was visiting his niece and nephew in Memphis when he was killed.
Elder Motley said he believed in forgiveness and decided to forgive the man who killed his son. But he still wants to be accountable. “I want this man to be fully punished. I just want justice for my son,” said Motley Sr.
The Memphis police arrested Livingston on Sunday. He was charged with second degree murder. According to an affidavit, he told police when they arrived at the scene on Saturday that he shot Motley.
Pia Foster, Motley’s friend, told police Livingston had started a dispute over the volume of the music in the car, the affidavit said.
According to the police tale, “Foster let Motley get back in the car to leave, but Motley got out and walked over to the guard. Pia Foster said Motley told the guard, ‘Let’s talk like men.'”
According to police reports, surveillance footage showed Livingston drew his gun and shot Motley, who was carrying a beer can and a lit cigarette.
The petrol station and the nearby car park have numerous surveillance cameras. Crump said that in the meeting with Weirich, she agreed to show the shoot video to the family at a later date.
Larry Buser, a spokesman for the prosecution, confirmed this account. “Yes, General Weirich has assured the family that they can see the video before it is played in court.”
The attorneys plan to make the video available to the public, Crump said.
According to his father, Motley had Marfan’s syndrome, a condition that affects connective tissue. Many people have speculated that Abraham Lincoln had the syndrome. The organs affected include the eyes. Motley, his father said, was almost blind and couldn’t drive. To see his cell phone, he had to hold the device in front of his face.
Kroger issued a statement Tuesday regarding Motley’s death, saying Livingston was employed by a third party rather than the company.
“We are deeply sad, extremely angry and appalled by this senseless violence. Our hearts are with the Motley family. In this tragic incident, an outside contractor was involved in the field who was providing security at our terminal on Poplar Avenue, ”said Kroger. “We ask all external contractors to respect and honor our core values, which include respect, diversity and inclusion. We would like to thank the Memphis Police Department for their prompt action. The only result we strive for is justice. “
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