The violent actions of a white supremacist in Alabama that killed four people in May have brought to the fore a new chapter in the history of white supremacist groups.
A grand jury is considering whether the killing of a black man and the stabbing of a Jewish man in July of that year were hate crimes, and the indictment of the suspect charged with their murders was announced Wednesday.
The indictment said the killing stemmed from a racist attack on a Jewish person.
The indictment also included details of the June 7, 2017, attack on the home of an Alabama Jew who was sleeping in his car.
The Jewish man was awoken by what he thought was a knock on his door, and he went to investigate, the indictment said.
The assailant, identified in court documents as Andrew Joseph Shugart, drove his car into a group of people who were asleep in the living room.
When Shugarts vehicle struck the group, one of the victims in the home was stabbed in the head.
Shugart then drove to his vehicle, where he shot the driver, James Jones, in the chest and fatally stabbed him, according to the indictment.
Jones, a Jewish father of three, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors say Shugert then drove the car to the home, where his two accomplices opened fire.
The second person in the car was shot and wounded in the shoulder and arm, and Shugarty fled the scene before police arrived.
The other victims in Jones’ home were all killed by gunfire, the statement said.
“We are satisfied with the indictment,” said Alabamian Attorney General Chris McDaniel, who was named to lead the investigation into the shootings.
Authorities are looking for the driver of the car that drove into the crowd of people, but they have not released his name.
Police said Shughart fled from the scene on foot.
Jones’ family and neighbors have accused Shugarton of domestic abuse and of having a history of violence.
Shugarte is charged with five counts of murder, including two counts of attempted murder, and one count of armed robbery.
Shugeart was also charged with a charge of malicious wounding, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
Investigators have identified a second suspect, a white man, who is in custody.
His identity has not been released.
Shugeart and his co-defendants face multiple charges, including murder and aggravated assault, and are being held without bond in the Alabaman state prison.
According to the grand jury indictment, Shugars car was found abandoned in the parking lot of a shopping center in Mobile on June 11, 2017.
He allegedly drove the vehicle to the shopping center where he fatally stabbed the driver and three other people, authorities said.
Shugaart allegedly fled the vehicle after the stabbing.