‘LACK OF CLOSURE’

Slain Omaha Man James Scurlock’s Family Reacts to Killer’s Suicide

“Are we supposed to feel bad?”

The family of James Scurlock is breaking their silence about the suicide of Jake Gardner, the white bar owner who was charged with killing the young Black man during a night of protests in Omaha. “Are we supposed to feel bad? Personally, I don't have any condolences to give and never will, Riss Mitchell, Scurlock’s older sister, told KETV. Scurlock was shot dead during an altercation May 30. Gardner claimed self-defense, but months later, a grand jury charged him with manslaughter. This weekend, before he was set to return to Nebraska, Gardner killed himself in Oregon. Scurlock’s father, also named James, told KETV the family now has to deal with a “lack of closure” because a trial will never be held. The family says they have received death threats since the suicide.