Savannah Pride Center holds vigil for victim of March 15 shooting, potential hate crime
Drew Favakeh
- The Savannah Pride Center held a vigil for Chris Allen Villegas Fentress, who was shot and killed on March 15th.
- Savannah Pride Center Executive Director Michael Bell believes Fentress was targeted for being gay and that the shooting should be investigated as a hate crime.
- Bell questions the accuracy of hate crime reporting in Savannah, noting that the city has not reported a hate crime in years.
The Savannah Pride Center held a vigil Thursday night for Chris Allen Villegas Fentress, who was shot and killed 12 days earlier inside a Dollar General on West Bay Street.
At the vigil, Savannah Pride Center Executive Director Michael Bell spoke about the March 15 incident in detail, describing what happened and saying that the suspect charged in the incident allegedly threatened Fentress and his friends and allegedly shouted multiple anti-gay slurs at Fentress.
The vigil comes shortly after the Savannah Pride Center released a statement calling for a comprehensive investigation into the killing of Fentress as a hate crime. In an email previously reported by the Savannah Morning News, Savannah Police Department (SPD) Public Safety Communications Manager Neil Penttila said that the facts did not support hate crime charges, but that SPD would work with the District Attorney to “ensure the appropriate charges are brought as the facts come to light.”
"What I know from knowing Chris and Oscar [Cerrito Mendoza, Fentress' partner] is that Chris would want you to know what happened on March 15th," said Bell. "And he'd want us to continue to do everything we can to protect our LGBTQ+ community."
What happened in the Dollar General store?
Like many people that weekend, Fentress and his friends planned to spend the St. Patrick's Day festivities downtown, said Bell.
At one point, the group stopped at the Dollar General on West Bay Street for Red Bull and a phone charger, Bell explained. There was a long line in the store and an older man was having trouble paying the 50 cents he owed. So, one of the people in Fentress' group, Amy, offered to pay for him. The cashier, however, said they wouldn’t allow the friend to pay for the older man and told Amy to go to the end of the line, said Bell.
The alleged shooter and his friend, who were at the end of the line, asked Amy what was taking so long, Bell said. Then, they told Amy that they should pay for their items, too.
“[The alleged shooter] argued and made threats," said Bell. "Chris defended his friends and got involved. The shooter identified himself as a gangster and threatened Chris’ friends that he would come after them. At this point, Chris and his friends decided to put down their Red Bull and walk out. On the way out, the shooter shouted at Amy, 'You have this gay ass n-word as your boyfriend.' Amy said, 'No, he’s just my friend.' And that’s when the shooter got enraged, calling Chris a faggot. Making threats to him and his friends and continued to use anti-gay slurs towards Chris. As they retreated to their car, the threats continued from inside. Fearful of being followed and consumed with worry that these threats would get carried out on him and his friends, Chris took off his shirt, got out of the car, and prepared for confrontation. He went back into the Dollar General, and that is when Chris was shot in the face.”
At around 6:10 p.m. on March 15, officers responded to reports of a shooting at the scene, according to an SPD press release. At the scene, police discovered Fentress in the store suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
On March 16, SPD issued an updated press release stating they had arrested Johnathan Manson, 27, and charged him with murder in connection with a homicide on the 2000 block of W. Bay St.
“It’s important to note that the shooter had a history of posting hate messages about LGBTQ people on his social media,” Bell said, later adding, “It’s clear to Chris’ friend Amy that Chris was targeted for being gay. It’s clear that the shooter needed to confirm that Chris was gay by his line of questioning before specifically attacking Chris.”
How many hate crimes have been reported in Savannah?
Additionally, Bell said, “it’s important to note that Savannah hasn’t reported any hate crimes in years, which is in stark contrast to other Georgia cities throughout the state."
According to an 11Alive report published in May 2022, Savannah was among the cities — including Macon and Augusta — that reported no hate crimes. The 11Alive report also found that, across Georgia in 2021, the GBI reported 224 hate crimes, which amounts to an average of about two hate crimes every three days statewide. Following the killing of Ahmad Arbery, who was fatally shot in February 2020 while running near Brunswick, Georgia enacted a new hate crime law in June 2020.
“Let us be clear: It is impossible that Savannah hasn’t experienced hate crimes in recent years,” said Bell. “This raises questions about the accuracy and completeness of hate crime reporting in our area, and we believe it is imperative to assess whether this reflects an absence of hate crimes or points to potential gaps in reporting and documentation.”
Bell added that "it's important to note" that, according to the latest Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Municipal Equality Index, the City of Savannah lost points for not reporting hate crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to the HRC website, the City of Savannah scored zero points (out of 12) for reporting 2019 hate crime statistics to the FBI. Overall, the City of Savannah scored an 80/100 on the HRC Municipal Equality Index, which rates cities "based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality."
Bell also spoke about his personal and professional relationship with Fentress, including that he would periodically meet with him at Mint to be Mojito, where they would discuss various topics.
“From the time I met Chris, we’d talk about our community, and what outreach events we could do...We talked about homophobia and racism in Virginia, where he was from, and homophobia and racism here in Savannah," said Bell. "We talked specifically about how to work with police and the trainings we could offer. And I remember that conversation and I’ve been playing it over-and-over in my head since his murder.”
Bell read a message from Fentress’ father. “That he really was loved. And I love him, with all of me,” Bell said Fentress’ father told him. The vigil concluded with Oscar Cerrito Mendoza, Fentress’ partner, speaking about Fentress.
"Chris and his partner Oscar relocated to Savannah from Virginia two years ago seeking to build a new life together in our city," said Bell. "Their journey was emblematic of love and hope, qualities Chris embodied in his commitment to service."
"We were meant to be together forever," Mendoza said.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.