The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, says a World War I veteran is the first person identified from graves filled with victims of the 1921 Tulsa massacre that targeted the city’s black community
OKLAHOMA CITY — OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —
A World War I veteran is the first person to be identified from graves full of victims of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 The mayor said Friday that the action specifically targets the city’s black community.
The remains of CL Daniel of Georgia were identified by Intermountain Forensics using DNA from descendants of Daniel’s brothers, Mayor GT Bynum and DNA lab officials said.
The remains are among those unearthed during three searches for mass graves of victims of the massacre.
About 300 black people were killed, more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools and churches were destroyed, and thousands of people were forced into internment camps run by the National Guard.
The massacre began when a white mob, including several law enforcement officers, looted and burned Tulsa’s Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street.