Russell Courtier, a 38-year-old self-avowed white supremacist, allegedly ran over and killed an African-American teenager after an altercation outside a convenience store earlier this month. The fatal encounter reportedly took place on August 10, and at the time of the brazen murder, Russell Courtier’s 25-year-old girlfriend Colleen Hunt was by her man’s side and even urged him on. According to reports, the tragic night began when the group crossed paths outside of a 7-Eleven in Gresham, Oregon, just before midnight.
Should a Oregon white Supremacist be facing hate crime charges after deliberately running over a black teen ??? https://t.co/4QqBIv8upW
— Scallywagandvagabond (@ScallywagNYC) September 1, 2016
As Portland Mercury reports, white supremacist Russell Courtier got into a verbal altercation with 19-year-old Larnell Bruce as the teen charged his cellphone outside of the convenience store. Nobody is sure at this point what started the fight between the two men, but as Russell Courtier and his girlfriend walked into the 7-Eleven, witnesses at the scene said that the white supremacist and African-American teen had some kind of verbal exchange. The word-slinging quickly escalated to fist-slinging, and within only a few short moments, the pair were reportedly grappling and throwing punches at one another.
At that point, witnesses to the deadly sparring say that Colleen Hunt urged her middle-aged boyfriend to continue to physically assault the teenager.
“Get him, baby! Get him, baby!”
The violent fist fight continued for several minutes and got so violent that white supremacist Russell Courtier allegedly slammed his victim’s head into the 7-Eleven window hard enough to break the glass. That is when the attendant at the convenience store reportedly had enough and called police.
According to eyewitnesses to the violence, the fight between the white supremacist and African-American teenager came to an end when Bruce pulled a large blade on his assailant; police have called it a “machete.” At that point, Russell Courtier and his girlfriend fled back to their red jeep and Bruce attempted to leave the scene on foot.
He didn’t make it far.
Reportedly, white supremacist Russell Courtier then pursued his target using his vehicle as a deadly weapon. Witnesses say that Courtier missed Bruce on his first attempt to hit the African-American teen with his jeep. Undeterred, Russell Courtier continued to chase his victim. Reportedly, the 38-year-old white supremacist put his own life, as well as the lives of other innocent motorists, at risk as he cut dangerously across lanes in an effort to mow down his teenage target. Ultimately, he was successful, running over Larnell Bruce in full view of multiple shocked and horrified witnesses.
“[He drove] across oncoming lanes of traffic and then intentionally struck him with the front of the vehicle.”
Police were already on their way to the 7-Eleven, having been called by the store’s clerk, when the white supremacist began roughing up his teenage victim in front of the building. They reportedly arrived at the scene of the carnage caused by Russell Courtier within minutes of the white supremacist deliberately running over his unfortunate target.
Larnell Bruce was bleeding profusely when first responders arrived, reportedly from his head and ears. The teen would cling to life for a couple of days, but ultimately his injuries proved insurmountable.
It didn’t take investigators long to locate Russell Courtier and his transportation-turned-murder weapon. According to authorities, both the 38-year-old white supremacist and his supportive girlfriend admitted that they deliberately hit the African-American youth with the jeep with the intent to kill. Both were indicted for murder on August 18.
Freak Out Nation reports that white supremacist Russell Courtier has an extensive violent criminal history and well-documented ties to the white supremacist movement. According to public records, he was a known and a long-time member of the extensive white supremacist prison gang known as European Kindred (EK). During one of his previous stints behind bars, he was tattooed with the gang’s insignia and faced disciplinary action.
According to Russell Courtier’s extensive criminal record, he has seven felony and four misdemeanor convictions. The white supremacist was even on parole for being convicted of attacking a female with a knife in 2013 on the very night that he ran down and ultimately killed young Larnell Bruce. Many are saying that Courtier was given many, many chances and was the beneficiary of extensive judiciary leniency over the course of his career as a violent criminal.
So far, police aren’t saying what led to the violent altercation that cost Larnell Bruce his life. If they know the motive behind his killer’s decision to run him over, they haven’t made it public. However, there is a lot of speculation that the reason that violent white supremacist Russell Courtier chose to murder Bruce was the color of the young African-American man’s skin.
Both Colleen Hunt and Russell Courtier have been booked into the Multnomah County jail; her bail has been set at $555,000 while a bail amount for the white supremacist hasn’t yet been set.
[Image via Multnomah County Jail]