Local sheriff asks FBI to investigate death of Black man found hanging in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The FBI is investigating the death of a Black man in Alabama, who was found hanging in an abandoned house, following a request from a local sheriff amid fears among community members who accuse local law enforcement of longstanding, unchecked misconduct.

Sheriff's deputies found Dennoriss Richardson, 39, in September in a rural part of Colbert County, miles away from his home in Sheffield, a city of approximately 10,000 people near the Tennessee River.

The Colbert County Sheriff's Office ruled Richardson's death a suicide. But Richardson's wife, Leigh Richardson, has said that is not true, explaining her husband did not leave a note and had no connection to the house where he was found.

Instead, the 40-year-old fears her husband's death was related to a lawsuit he filed against the local police department in February. Dennoriss Richardson, who coached kids in baseball and football, had alleged he was assaulted, denied medical attention, sprayed with tear gas and shocked with a Taser while in jail.

Leigh Richardson said she is not accusing a specific person but is adamant her husband didn't kill himself.

She is not alone in her belief. Widespread skepticism about Richardson's death underscores deep-seated distrust of local law enforcement in Colbert County. In a region where hanging invokes a long history of state-sanctioned lynchings for Black people, residents in the county allege a pattern of excessive force among local law enforcement.

Sheriff Eric Balentine, who confirmed the FBI accepted his request to investigate, said his department ''exhausted all resources'' in its investigation.

''We feel confident in what our findings were, but we feel like by doing this we can give the family more peace of mind,'' Balentine said.

A spokesperson for the FBI's field office in Birmingham confirmed the FBI is aware of Dennoriss Richardson's death and is reviewing the allegations of criminal misconduct.

Tori Bailey, the president of the local NAACP chapter and the only Black member of the six-person county commission in Colbert County, said the community's reaction to Richardson's death was partially informed by the region's harrowing history with lynchings.

In Alabama, there were 359 reported lynchings between 1877 and 1943, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a criminal justice reform nonprofit. In Colbert County alone, there were 11.

Bailey said, although there may be nothing to these accusations, it makes sense the community would have a ''visceral'' reaction to a Black man hanging and want a more thorough investigation. She said while some officers are trying to do the right thing, in her 12 years as NAACP president she has documented and investigated many cases of excessive force in the county.

''There has long been a kind of disconnect between communities of color and law enforcement. Unfortunately, many of us do not feel that law enforcement is actually there to serve and protect,'' Bailey said.

Marvin Long, a 57-year-old Black man and lifelong Colbert County resident, knew Dennoriss Richardson's family well growing up. He shares the skepticism about the suicide ruling and said Richardson's death has intensified his fear of retaliation.

''To this day I hate seeing a police car,'' Long said. ''I'm still more afraid now than ever.''

Long sued the Sheffield Police department last year. After he inquired about an unrelated arrest taking place just outside his property in 2021, body camera footage appears to show officers following Long to his house, dragging him down his porch steps and siccing the police K9 on him as he screams for help. Long was unarmed, according to the complaint.

Richardson and Long are among five Black and Latino men represented by civil rights attorney Roderick Van Daniel who have filed lawsuits against the department in recent years.

''Citizens are living in fear of retaliation,'' Van Daniel said.

In one case, an off-duty Sheffield police officer was caught on surveillance footage punching and pulling a gun on a Black man at a liquor store. The officer was later convicted of assault and menacing and reckless endangerment. He was fired from the department.

In a separate lawsuit, a 57-year-old chiropractor claims he was shocked with a Taser 18 times while in handcuffs after he asked an officer to help him find his wife's iPhone. Photos included in the suit show several large burn marks allegedly from the assault.

The Sheffield Police Department did not respond to numerous phone calls and emails seeking comment. Lawyers for the officers named in pending lawsuits did not respond to emails.

Balentine, the sheriff since 2023, declined to comment on specific cases. But he said that based on his almost 30 years as an officer in the area, he thought residents in Colbert County generally trusted law enforcement.

''If it's proven that it was excessive, then I'm sure that there will be accountability,'' he said.

Still, Balentine said he hoped the FBI investigation would help assuage concerns.

''Transparency is always a good way to mend some fences with the community,'' he said.

Leigh Richardson had known her husband since he was 17. She remembers Dennoriss, known affectionately as ''Na-Na,'' as a warm father to their five children. But she also said his fear of the police was not new.

''He was scared at that young age,'' Richardson said.

Richardson said that after filing the lawsuit her husband was frequently stopped by police. In those months, he was ''trying to stay out of the way,'' she said.

Sheffield Mayor Steve Stanley said Dennoriss Richardson had come to his office at least once to express concerns that he was being profiled. Stanley said he assured Richardson that any officers reported through official channels would be investigated.

The Sheffield Police Department did not confirm whether or how frequently the department pulled over Richardson.

Court records show Dennoriss Richardson had a long history of run-ins with local law enforcement, but the majority of the charges in federal and state courts did not stick.

Dennoriss Richardson pleaded guilty to drug possession in 2006 and was sentenced to five years in prison. In more than 15 years since then, court records show Richardson was arrested at least six additional times by the Sheffield Police Department, for charges ranging from disorderly conduct to robbery to assault.

None of those charges, except for a traffic violation for expired tags, resulted in a conviction, according to available court records.

In the same week that Richardson filed his lawsuit against the department, he was charged with trafficking meth. He had been arrested in a house where drugs allegedly were found. Richardson was out on bond when he died.

Stanley said he firmly supports holding officers accountable for misconduct but emphasized his overwhelming confidence in them.

''I have preached and believe that the majority of officers, at least, recognize that everybody deserves respect,'' Stanley said.

Still, amid the looming investigation, uncertainty in the community prevails.

In early October, Richardson's friends and family filled the pews of the small Trinity Memorial Funeral Home to commemorate his life. The singing and sermons were punctuated by calls for justice.

At the pulpit, Van Daniel, Richardson's attorney, said Richardson ''believed in transparency and accountability. He stood up against police misconduct.''

There was a steady chorus of ''amens'' from the crowd as Van Daniel spoke.

''His family and the Sheffield community deserve answers," he said. "We deserve answers.''

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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Riddle is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.