Burn Victim: Sharmeka Moffitt
Sharmeka
Moffitt,
20, is recovering after three men burned and attacked her while writing the
letters “KKK” on the hood of her car.
The attack happened Sunday [Oct. 21] evening
at Civitan Park in Winnsboro, LA while she was walking in the park on a paved
trail.
As reported by the Shreveport Times:
Moffitt
called 911 about 8 p.m. and told police she was attacked and burned by three
men wearing white T-shirt hoodies, authorities said during a news conference
today.
Moffitt is
believed to be severely burned and is being treated at LSU Hospital in
Shreveport, where she's listed in critical condition.
The FBI is
investigating whether the attack was a hate crime, Winnsboro Police Chief Kevin
Cobb said.
Burn Victim with a baby
Authorities have not identified, nor
made any arrests in the case as they haven’t determined the sequence of events
or whether the attack was random or planned.
Moffitt is
currently at LSU Medical Center Shreveport where she remains in critical
condition.
Many in the social media sphere
reported that Moffitt was wearing an
Obama t-shirt, but those allegations turned out to be false.
Police believe Moffitt was doused in a flammable liquid and set afire.
Edna Moffitt, the mother of burn victim Sharmeka Moffitt, wipes away tears during a press conference at LSU Hospital in Shreveport on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012.
Trooper Albert Paxton said Moffitt,
who is in critical condition, suffered extensive burns below her neck on her
chest and back all the way down to her calves. Though Cobb admitted the
possibility of the attack being racially motivated was unsettling, they asked
for the community to reserve judgement.
On Sharmeka's Facebook page, it says
she works for ConAgra Foods, Inc., an American packaged foods company. Since
the story broke, a Prayers for Sharmeka Moffitt page has been created with over 25,000 supporters.
Jerry Cooper, a cousin of the victim, points to the area where she was
found. Photo credit: Margaret Croft/The News-Star
Crime Scene...
Law enforcement investigate the scene. Photo credit: Margaret Croft/The
News-Star
VIDEO 1:
VIDEO 2:
KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather