Murdered SC activist famous for snatching rebel flag likely a robbery victim

The unsolved shooting death of a nationally renowned Black Lives Matter activist from South Carolina is being linked to an attempted robbery by New Orleans Police.

Muhiyidin d’Baha, 32, of Charleston, became known across the country after a video went viral of him snatching a Confederate battle flag from the hands of a counter protestor.

He was shot in the thigh around 1:20 a.m. on Feb. 6 while biking on a New Orleans street and he later died at a hospital.

New Orleans police issued a statement Wednesday night, seeking information from the public on the shooting. “Homicide detectives gathered additional information and believe (d’Baha) may have been the victim of an attempted armed robbery,” police told the Charleston Post and Courier.

Police found d'Baha lying on the ground, along side a bloody bicycle and a blood trail that ran nearly six blocks, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayunne.

A GoFundMe page created by his niece, Camille Weaver, says relatives were told the next morning that he died of excessive blood loss. The GoFundMe campaign raised $34,000 to cover funeral related costs.

He had come to New Orleans four days before the shooting to attend Mardi Gras events and meet with local musicians, d’Baha’s girlfriend, Erica Veal, told the Times-Picayune.

D'Baha drew national attention when video of him at a protest went viral.

He leaped at a counter protester holding a Confederate battle flag, snatching the emblem out of his hands. It happened last February outside of a speech by activist Bree Newsome at the College of Charleston. He was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and malicious injury to real property, according to the Washington Post.

According to the Washington Post, d’Baha said he tried to wrestle the flag away to “help them understand what it is to meet a real resistance, to meet people that aren't scared.”

As a result of the incident, d’Baha became known around the country as the “Confederate flag grabber.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Murdered SC activist famous for snatching rebel flag likely a robbery victim."