Group demands answers in killing of Jamaican immigrant who went hunting with White men

A Black Pittsburgh organization is calling for an arrest after a Jamaican immigrant was shot and killed in western Pennsylvania earlier this month while allegedly on a hunting trip with five White men. Peter Spencer was shot several times, according to the coroner in Venango County.

The Black Political Empowerment Project (BPEP) is demanding answers because no charges have been filed. “We demand the immediate investigation of this murder by the Venango County District Attorney, the U.S. Attorney General and the PA State Attorney General,” BPEP said in a statement released on Monday.

Spencer, who was found dead on Carl’s Road in Rockland Township in the early morning hours of December 12, had a fiancée and an unborn child. His pregnant fiancée Carmela King had dropped him off to go hunting in Venango County, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of December 11, according to his family.

Spencer was going hunting that day with a former co-worker he had visited in the past. The man, however, brought along his own friends as well, Spencer’s family said.

“This time he was taken directly into the woods and not this person’s mother’s home … to the fiancé she didn’t totally feel comfortable with that,” BPEP CEO Tim Stevens said.

At around 2.30 am on December 12, the police were called to a cabin on Carls Road and found Spencer shot at the scene. “We are talking six bullets into the chest, two into the buttocks, and one we have a different opinion – either through the mouth or from the neck out of the mouth,” Stevens said.

A 25-year-old man was taken into custody and multiple guns were located at the scene, according to Pennsylvania State Police. But no charges have been filed. Stevens said the man who was taken into custody claimed self-defense.

“Which we think is a defenseless defense, an unexplainable defense … we can’t help but wonder if there was some racial animosity and if this possibly could be a hate crime,” Stevens said.

The Pennsylvania State Police has said it is investigating the case. It released an initial report that did not include any details about the suspect or possible motive, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reported.

BPEP is calling for justice while Spencer’s family has set up two GoFundMe pages. One fundraiser is for legal fees and the other is for funeral expenses. Spencer’s fiancé King wrote: “the Franklin state troopers office will not give Peter’s family nor myself any information regarding this incident.

“We have been turned away several times while trying to reach out for information regarding what happened.

“On behalf of the Spencer family along with his unborn child, we ask the public to help support by bringing recognition and justice to this case.”

“Any contribution will be applied to solving the murder of a man.”