Russell Courtier, 40, is now facing life in prison after he ran down a black man in a Jeep and killed him over two years ago.
Courtier was sentenced to life in prison for killing 19-year-old Larnell Bruce Jr. The crime is considered racially motivated and Courtier will not have the opportunity for parole for the next 28 years.
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On August 10, 2016, Courtier and Bruce were engaged in a fight outside of a store in the near-Portland city of Gresham, Oregon. Once Bruce attempted to dismiss himself from the situation, Courtier chased him with a Jeep and eventually hitting him, causing injuries that would cost Bruce his life.
According to CNN, police responded to a call of a hit and run, finding Bruce with “critical injuries” resulting in his death at a local hospital.
Courtier is believed to be a member of a white supremacist prison gang named European Kindred, which the Anti-Defamation League states have roots tied to the Oregon corrections system. In a statement, prosecutor David Hannon stated Courtier wanted to be in the gang due to “his racist desire to be a part of a ‘brotherhood'”
Additionally, Hannon found the conviction and sentence provided to Courtier valid due to his decision to be “motivated by his perception of Mr. Bruce’s race or the color of his skin.”
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The incident with Bruce is not Courtier’s first brush with the law, in 2015 engaged in a fight at a pool hall after being referred to as a “fake Marine” by another white man.
Courtier is not the only one going to jail as a result of the killing of Bruce, his girlfriend, Colleen Hunt, 27, received a 10-year sentence for allowing the Jeep to be used be Courtier. She pleads guilty to one count of manslaughter and aiding and abetting Courtier.
The family of the Larnell Bruce Jr. addressed Courtier at the sentencing in the video clip below.
