Earlier this month, we brought you the story of a Charleston County Detention Center inmate beating up Charleston assassin Dylann Roof in the shower as Dylann’s guard went to fetch toilet paper for another inmate. The guard came back to to find Dylann bloodied and bashed and laying in the fetal position in the shower.
The aggressor in that incident was 25-year-old Dwayne Stafford. Stafford, a lifelong product of South Carolina’s inept foster care system, had been through more than a dozen foster homes before his 18th birthday. His arrest that landed him in close proximity to Roof was for strong armed robbery and assault and battery charges for a crime he says he didn’t commit, according to NBC News.
Stafford served 571 in prison while awaiting his trial before beating the piss out of Roof, a decision that ultimately lead to him being released on bond, giving temporary housing, and receiving clothing, food, and cash donations from supporters of his action. Not bad for a dude who was homeless before getting locked up.
“I wouldn’t say it’s justice, but I felt as if I did the right thing,” Stafford said in an interview following the incident.
Despite Stafford sending Roof to the hospital, he claims that his relationship with the man who killed nine black people in an effort to start a race war wasn’t always antagonistic. Contrary to most other inmates who wanted Roof’s head on a stake, Stafford claims to have built friendly rapport with the 22-year-old.
“When he first got there, everyone was cussing him out, saying what they were going to do to him,” Stafford said. “But I wasn’t even in the mindset of violence. I was more like damn, that could’ve been my people. No, they were my people. I just didn’t understand how he could do that… Pure evil.”
Still, Stafford said that he’d engage in small talk with Roof. He said he’d walk by his cell and they’d chat about politics and current events, sometimes girls.
“I’d say, ‘What’s up man,’ and he’d come to the cell door smiling like I’m his friend,” Stafford said. “But the whole time I’m looking at him like, you couldn’t find nothing else to do with your life? I didn’t know I was going to get him but it was more of a ‘you know what you did’ type thing.” [via NBC News]
The cordiality ended abruptly when Stafford claims he pressed Roof on his plans to start a race war, and at some point Roof insulted Stafford’s recently-deceased father. Alienating the only person in prison who didn’t outwardly loathe you by making fun of his dead parent turned out to be a poor tactical move by this fucktard.
Stafford waited weeks for his opportunity to punish Roof for his comments, and was gifted a blunder from the guards who didn’t properly lock his jail cell while another left Roof in the shower unattended to deliver toilet paper to a pooping inmate.
Stafford entered the shower and muttered just four words before whaling on Roof:
“Mind if I join?”
When Stafford was asked if Roof fought back, he chuckled and then said, “He tried, but, nah. I beat Dylann Roof’s ass.”
As he awaits his trial as a free man, Stafford says he hopes to stay out of jail and wants to help others who don’t have a voice.
I respect people, especially when they say I don’t condone violence but you did the right thing,” Stafford said. “I just look straight up at the sky and thank Jesus because that could’ve gone really wrong.”
[h/t NBC News]