In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

Student Alliance for Imam Jamil (SAIJ)

The March 16, 2000 Incident

On Thursday, March 16, 2000, an exchange of gunfire between two Fulton County Sheriff’s deputies and persons unknown resulted in the death of one officer (Deputy Richard Kinchen) and the injury of the other (Deputy Aldranon English).

Authorities say the officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on the Imam of a local mosque. The religious leader, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, earlier known as H. Rap Brown, is a former Chairman of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Atlanta police released, in rapid succession, four differing accounts of the incident. The only constant in these changing official versions was that the assailant had been so severely wounded as to have left a “trail of blood” at the scene.

The surviving officer is said to have identified Imam Al-Amin as his assailant from the pictures that were shown to him between surgical procedures. Four days later, on Monday, March 20th, when Imam Al-Amin was arrested in Alabama, he was found to be completely free of physical injury. The Imam has steadfastly denied any involvement in the shooting.

The question that persists is why Fulton County DA Paul Howard chose to seek the death penalty in this case despite the numerous inconsistencies surrounding the incident, the proven character of Imam Al-Amin over the twenty years he has lived and served in Atlanta, and in spite of his major contributions to Civil and Human Rights in America.

“And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you (O Muhammad SAW) to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get you out (from your home, i.e. Makkah); they were plotting and Allah too was planning, and Allah is the Best of the planners.” (Al-Qur’an - 8:30)

[ Home ] [ Latest !!! ] [ Get to know the man!! ] [ March 16, 2000 Incident ] [ Members ] [ Students Speak ] [ Join ] [ Links ] [ Table of Contents ]

Send mail to [email protected] with questions or comments.
Last modified: April 04, 2001