Boss who shot his workers later led KKK chapter

Willie Mae Pitts Sallie, a sister of two of the men who were killed, in a photo taken around 1960. (Photo courtesy of Miykhel Sharkell)
In the rural neighborhood around Ticheli Road, the sound of multiple gunshots erupted in the early morning quiet of July 13, 1960. Sam Brooks wasn’t sure why shots were being fired, but peeking out the front window of his home, the 9-year-old looked across the street where they came from. Brooks wanted to go outside and see what was going on, but his mother kept him inside. Nearby, 34-year-old…

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