An Alabama preacher and politician who killed herself days after being exposed for having a secret online life as a “transgender curvy girl” had told friends days earlier that she was having some “dark days”.
FL “Bubba” Copeland, 62, who is the mayor of the small town of Smiths Station, told the friend after a news outlet ran a story that featured a photo of Copeland’s “alter ego” Brittini Blaire Summerlin in a bra and feminine clothes.
“After watching for a day or two [of] People were just attacking Bubba nonstop, I was kind of bothered by it, and I just decided to call him,” former Phenix City Schools Superintendent Larry D. Chiara told NBC News.
“It was the day before he died. I said, ‘Bubba, keep your head up, you’re a good man with a great heart. Never forget that. Call me if you need me,’” Chiara recounts.
“The answer was: ‘Thank you. It’s been a dark few days.’ And I said, ‘I’m sure, just hang in there and it’ll pass.'”
Photos posted online show Copeland allegedly dressed as Summerlin in a bra and feminine clothing. Facebook/FL ” Bubba” Mayor Copeland Smiths Station Alabama A local newspaper published a photo of Copeland’s “alter ego” Brittini Blaire Summerlin.Reddit.
But on Friday, the day Copeland died, another story was published alleging he wrote violent fantasy fiction and posted pictures of people from the community to his Reddit page without their consent.
Copeland, who is also the pastor at First Baptist Church in nearby Phenix City, then contacted a friend at the local police department, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said.
“It was a friend calling a friend,” he explained. “Let’s say he cares about the article. I think ‘disappointed’ is a good way to put it.”
The authorities then conducted a welfare check on the mayor.
Two deputies first went to Copeland to look for him, and then to a local market he frequented, before finally spotting the mayor driving down a county road, officials said.
Deputies then turned on their emergency lights and tried to get Copeland to stop.
When he finally did, Copeland got out of the vehicle and shot himself.
Copeland had told a friend after the story came out that she was having a “dark day.” Facebook / FL “Bubba” Copeland
“We didn’t know Copeland was going to die at the scene,” Jones said.
“There was an obvious concern for his welfare, and deputies tried to get him to stop, contact him and assess the situation and then take action based on that assessment.”
He added that he did not know what the deputy minister could have done differently.
“It was just tragic all the way through.”
But Chiara said she blamed Copeland’s death on those who mocked her online — and continued to do so even after his death.
Copeland is survived by his wife, son and two daughters. Facebook / FL “Bubba” Copeland
“Some people are heartless even in the man’s death,” she said, adding that Copeland’s son “really had a hard time with it.”
Church member Dan Elkins also said he had posted hateful comments on Copeland’s Facebook page after her death.
“He was far from perfect — but he was my pastor, my friend, and my brother,” Elkins told NBC. “And in the midst of my anger about this whole situation, tonight my heart is truly broken.
“I do not at all ignore/reject accountability,” he added, “but it must be met with love and care, not scorn and judgment.”
Copeland is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
