On August 22, 2025, Albert Sturgill Jr. was shot in the neck at a veterans memorial park in Crossville, Tennessee. He later died of his injuries.

His alleged offense? Flipping his middle finger toward war monuments and the American flag—a controversial, emotional gesture, but one protected under the First Amendment.

Witnesses say Albert didn’t speak. He didn’t attack anyone. But after a group of men confronted him, one left the scene, retrieved a gun, and returned to shoot him. Albert was unarmed and backing away when the fatal shot was fired—moments before police arrived.

This is not justice. It’s vigilantism.

Albert had a long history of mental health struggles and resentment toward the government. He often expressed those feelings publicly, including at the memorial. Many in the community knew him. Some found him frustrating, but they also knew he wasn’t a threat. He needed space—and help—not a bullet.

We, the undersigned, call on the Tennessee Attorney General and Cumberland County prosecutors to:

• Fully investigate the killing of Albert Sturgill Jr. with transparency and accountability
• Affirm that free speech—even when provocative or offensive—does not justify deadly force
• Oppose efforts to use “self-defense” to excuse vigilante violence against unarmed people expressing political beliefs.

Albert’s death sends a chilling message: that if you express unpopular views in public—especially about patriotism or the military—you may be met with deadly force, not civil dialogue.

The right to dissent is not optional. It is foundational.