The Black Lives Matter leader shot dead while riding his bike in New Orleans was the victim of an attempted armed robbery, police said.
Muhiyidin d’Baha — the activist known for diving over a barrier to grab a Confederate flag from a protester on live TV at the College of Charleston last year — died Feb. 6 after being shot in the thigh.
D’Baha, who was also a drummer, had been in the Big Easy for a couple of days before the shooting to celebrate Mardi Gras with his girlfriend, Erica Veal, and to make connections with local musicians, she told The Times-Picayune.
“The family’s really torn up about what happened, as you can imagine,” Veal said. “And we really want some answers.”
New Orleans police had found a bloody bicycle and a blood trail that ran nearly six blocks from where the 30-year-old’s body lay, according to a police report detailed by the paper.
A GoFundMe page set up by the activist’s niece Camille Weaver said her uncle has died “due to excessive blood loss.”
She raised over $30,000 to bring d’Baha’s body back to Charleston, where he grew up and lived.
“He loved Charleston and loved fighting for what’s right,” she told the Post and Courier. “I’ve never met anyone more committed and hardworking than him. He was an asset to the Charleston community and will be greatly missed.”
D’Baha, whose legal last name was Moye, drew national attention last February when he was arrested for jumping over a barricade in an attempt to grab a flag away from a demonstrator with the South Carolina Secessionist Party.
The group had gathered to protest a talk by activist Bree Newsome, who famously climbed the South Carolina capitol flagpole to remove its Confederate flag in 2015.
New Orleans detectives are looking to speak with anyone who might have information about the attempted robbery and shooting, and are offering a reward of $5,000 for details leading to an arrest.