Stephan Long, a Black man from Denver, is fighting back after he says he was wrongfully convicted of murder after defending himself from a racially charged attack by two white men. 

According to reports, Long is suing the city of Denver and its police force after detaining and charging him for shooting the white assailants who attacked him in a 2023 road rage incident. Despite being presented with evidence showing Long was defending himself, the prosecutors charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.

He wound up behind bars for four months, spent an additional 10 months on house arrest with an ankle monitor before the courts dismissed the charges for “insufficient evidence” presented by the prosecution.

Last week, Long filed a lawsuit against the two Denver police officers involved in the arrest, as well as the city and county of Denver, citing a violation of his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights, selective prosecution, and unlawful arrest, according to reports. 

The incident occurred in July 2023 when Long was speaking on the phone to his wife, and the two white brothers, Damon and Blake Lucas, were seemingly aggravated because Long slowed down his driving. According to court documents, Long attempted to veer off into another intersection but the brothers blocked the exit, forcing Long to stop. 

Blake then exited his vehicle, yelled, and continuously punched Long in the face. That was when Long shot the brother and killed him. Damon, the driver, hopped out of his vehicle to approach Long while he was attempting to drive away. That was when Long shot him as well. 

Despite the actions of the brothers, Long was still charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According to the probable cause statement obtained by Atlanta Black Star: 

The suspect related that he was driving north on I-25 when a vehicle drives next to him and begins yelling at him. This vehicle pulls in front of him and cuts him off. Soon after, the passenger in the vehicle that cuts off the suspect exits his vehicle and approaches the suspect. 

The male begins grabbing and hitting the suspect through his open driver’s window. The suspect grabs his handgun and shoots the male (victim on northbound I-25 under 6th Ave). The suspect related that the driver of the vehicle that cut him off also exited and approached his driver’s side. 

The suspect drove off and this person held onto his open driver’s window while traveling north on the highway. The suspect then shot this person (victim on 8th Ave exit ramp) who fell off the vehicle. The suspect then drove to the area of W 13th Ave and Meade St where he was contacted and detained by police. 

In a statement to local media, Long discussed the trauma of how the events played out. 

“We all paid the price of suffering from a system that got it wrong. While I’m beyond blessed and grateful to be home now, nothing will give us back the time we lost or undo the damage that was done to my family.”