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Case

Frank Morris

Overview

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on December 10, 1964, two unidentified white males set fire to a shoe repair shop in Ferriday, Louisiana, that was owned by Frank Morris, a 51-year-old African-American man.  Morris, who was sleeping in a room in the back of the shop, was awakened by the noise of breaking glass.  Morris went into his shop and opened the front door of his shop, where he encountered one of the subjects holding a shotgun who ordered him back inside.  The subjects broke the windows and spread a flammable liquid around the outside of the shop, and evidence indicates that the subjects may have spread the flammable liquid inside of the shop before Morris was awakened.  One of the men struck a match and set the shop on fire.  The fire resulted in an explosion.  Morris escaped the shop but sustained burns to 100% of his body.  Morris was taken to a local hospital by two local law enforcement officers.  He was able to speak to investigators but could not identify the two men.  Morris died at approximately 7:30 p.m. on December 14, 1964. 


Incident Date
Case Name
Frank Morris
Topics
FOIA
Industry Code(s)
  • None
Case Document
Updated October 6, 2016