A man whom a local news investigation found to be either Rev. Al Sharpton’s half-brother or nephew has been charged with capital murder for a Sunday night shooting that occurred one day after he participated in Saturday’s anti-gun “March For Our Lives”:
BREAKING: Pastor and human rights activist, Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow, among two charged with capital murder https://t.co/8cY0zbRV7m
— WKRG (@WKRG) March 26, 2018
Rev. Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow, 52, a community activist in Dothan, Alabama, was reportedly driving the car when alleged gunman Jamie Townes, 26, shot 23-year-old Breunia Jennings in the head, the Dothan Eagle reported:
In a press conference Monday afternoon, Parrish said it appears Jennings stole Townes’ vehicle. Townes got into Glasgow’s vehicle, and the two followed Jennings while she drove.
Townes fired several shots into the vehicle Jennings drove, he said, striking her in the head. She later died from her injuries.
Under Alabama law, Glasgow is legally accountable for the same capital murder charge that Townes faces, according to local officials.
The day before the fatal shooting, Glasgow was in Washington, D.C., where he protested against guns at the “March for Our Lives” rally:
March for Our Lives organizers say Glasgow arrest troubling >> https://t.co/7iy0p2DIBR
— WTVYNews4 (@WTVYNews4) March 27, 2018
March organizers quickly released a statement distancing their organization from Glasgow and offering “thoughts and prayers” to the victim of the gun violence:
As organizer of the March for Our Lives, we are saddened to once again have to mourn the death of young life lost to gun violence in our community. Breunia Jennings’ family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers as they seek justice for her. We stand behind them in advocating for any common sense legislation that would have kept a gun out of her killer’s hands.
Kenneth Glasgow’s alleged connection with this crime is very troubling to our organization. While we believe in due process of law, we wish to correct some misattribution of his participation in our march Saturday.
Kenneth Glasgow is the executive officer of The Ordinary People Society. The Ordinary People Society had participants in our march, and one of their officers coordinated emceeing duties and helped with permit registration. The bulk of the organization of the march was performed by myself, Kailee Maciulla and student organizing was performed by Morgan Shaw, a senior at a local high school.
Kenneth Glasgow was never a scheduled speaker at the march nor did he participate in its planning. It frankly came as a surprise to organizers when the person from his organization who temporarily emceed the event at Porter Park as an “organizer,” as he had never attended an organizational meeting or donated funds.
The entire statement can be read here.
Glasgow was convicted on drug charges in the late 1980s. Upon his release, he founded The Ordinary People Society, a community and homeless ministry in Dothan. He and the Rev. Al have protested together in the past, including in Florida following the Trayvon Martin shooting in 2013.
Mobile’s WKRG investigated Glasgow’s family background in June of 2016 after the “community activist” came to town to protest a police shooting of an armed teenager. WKRG found his connection to Al Sharpton to be somewhat “complicated”:
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