Bernard Whitehurst Jr, a 32-year-old Black man, was killed in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1975 after a white police officer, Donald Foster, shot him in the back after mistaking him for a robbery suspect. Police initially claimed Whitehurst had fired at them and that officers returned fire; a gun was planted at the scene, no autopsy was performed, and the family was first informed of his death by a radio broadcast. The coroner’s report, following the police account, said Whitehurst was shot in the chest.

Six months later, pressure from a local newspaper and the family’s attorney prompted the District Attorney to order an exhumation. A subsequent autopsy showed Whitehurst had been shot in the back, exposing the earlier account as a fabrication and revealing a deliberate cover-up. The investigation led to perjury indictments against three officers and to eight officers being forced to resign or fired; the mayor and the Director of Public Safety also resigned. No officer was convicted in connection with his death.

If anyone knew Bernard, witnessed the shooting, or has information that hasn’t been shared, please come forward.