Alabama’s Troy Police Department is under investigation from the State Bureau after the brutal beating of 17-year-old Ulysses “Fat Daddy” Wilkerson.
Photos of Wilkerson’s bruised face went viral on Facebook last weekend with civil rights activists demanding accountability for the incident that happened on Dec 23.
As reported by WSFA12 News, Troy officers saw the teen walk from behind a closed downtown business Saturday around 11:52 p.m. As the officers exited their patrol vehicle and approached, they say the subject fled on foot. Once apprehended, officers say Wilkerson resisted arrest and appeared to “reach for a weapon,” leading them to use force to restrain him.
Wilkerson’s family and local activists aren’t buying it.
“Troy will no longer stand for the police department’s brutality,” Gerald Jackson, leader of the activist group We Demand Justice, based in North Carolina told Mic.com. “The family is requesting justice for their son,” Jackson said.
Wilkerson —who is currently at the UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama— suffered damage to his eye socket that was cracked in three places, which caused swelling to his brain.