A prominent civil rights leader and former member of the Black Panther Party has died in prison nearly 25 years after being convicted of killing a Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy. He was known as H. Rap Brown during the civil rights era before converting to Islam and changing his name to Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin.
Al-Amin was serving a life sentence for the 2000 shooting that left Deputy Ricky Kinchen dead and Deputy Aldranon English wounded as they attempted to serve a warrant. English later testified at Al-Amin’s trial. His attorneys say the 82-year-old died after a prolonged period of medical decline.
Despite his reputation for fiery rhetoric, former Atlanta mayor and civil rights leader Andrew Young says Al-Amin’s non-violent work also helped advance the movement. Al-Amin was known in later years for efforts to improve neighborhoods in Atlanta’s West End…