Family Files Lawsuit Over Alleged Mississippi Hate Crime

The family of a black man who died after he was beaten and run over by a truck in Mississippi has filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the alleged hate crime.

The complaint, obtained by Fox News, was filed Tuesday in Hinds County Circuit Court. It accuses seven white teenagers of setting out on June 26 in search of a black man to harass.

One defendant named in the lawsuit, Deryl Dedmon, is charged with capital murder and robbery in the death of 49-year-old James Craig Anderson, who was killed June 26 in a motel parking lot in Jackson.

According to the complaint, the suspects deliberately set out to harm black people, who they described using racial epithets. During the assault on Anderson, one of the attackers shouted, “White power!,” the lawsuit claims.

Authorities say Dedmon then intentionally ran over Anderson with a Ford F-250 pickup truck.

Dedmon was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday on the criminal charges.

Another defendant in the lawsuit, John Aaron Rice, is charged with assault in the case.

Their attorneys deny they were involved in a racially motivated attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.