DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Family and community members held a vigil for John Scott Jr. at the Church at Stone River in Decatur. Scott died a week after he was arrested by Decatur Police.
“We are broken, we are shattered into pieces, oh God,” a speaker at the vigil said.
Candlelight filled the church following what speakers said was a moment of darkness.
“We need the end of destruction of our babies, of our families, of our community,” another speaker said.
People attended to pray with John Scott Jr.’s family after he died, which some consider to be an avoidable death. Scott, who suffered a mental health emergency before being arrested by Decatur Police, died days later. The arrest sparked outrage following the release of body camera footage showing the incident.
“This is the second time something like this has happened to the city of Decatur,” Curtis Taylor, a friend of Scott’s, said. “Excuse me, third time…I mean, honestly, the city is about to erupt. Accountability needs to be held…The right thing needs to take place.”
Scott died one week after his arrest, on April 22, leaving many looking for justice in his case.
“It’s been a time for grief,” Taylor said. “It’s been a time for mourning. It’s been a time for anger due to the circumstances. It’s been a time of confusion. We do serve a God that sits high and looks low, and ultimately justice will prevail.”
Longtime friend of Scott’s, Marques Emerson, said he doesn’t want Scott to be remembered for the way he died, but for the man he was while he lived.
“He was very much a community pillar in this community,” Emerson said. “And, and no question, he just wanted, you know, to work together. He wanted to see people love each other, love one another.”
He added that Scott’s death is proof that services for those going through a mental health crisis must become better.
“He was asking for help because he was having a crisis, and all he wanted was somebody to understand,” Emerson said. “And that’s what we should do. We should get better resources for the mentally challenged or for people who have mental illness. They deserve that. We owe them that because we don’t have crises like this that ever, will ever happen again.”
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