WGNO

Oklahoma man says he was beaten unconscious while attackers yelled homophobic slurs

EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — An Oklahoma man said he was beaten unconscious over the weekend by two people yelling homophobic slurs. 

Christian Council, a realtor, said he and a friend were heading home early Saturday morning when a car parked in the middle of the road blocked his space. 

He said he honked his horn twice before they finally moved and he was able to get to his spot.  

“My friend and I got out of my car. They were waiting behind my car, and when they saw us and saw what we looked like, they said, ‘Oh, are you two a couple of …’ and they used a gay slur,” Council said.

Police said a woman, then a man, approached Council.  

“Assaulted him, beat him up, left him laying on the ground,” said MSgt. Gary Knight, with the Oklahoma Police Department. “When officers arrived, he was still on the ground — all of the involved parties were still there.”

Council was left bloody and bruised, with a gash below his right eye and swelling on his head and body. 

“I’m in a lot of pain,” Council said, adding that it’s still hard for him to breathe. “I’ll never forget the feeling of my neck snapping back and forth every time he would hit either side of my head.”

Council said the couple was yelling slurs during the entire attack. 

“It was clear that when they could tell my friend and I were gay, or that we appeared to be gay, they knew they could do what they did to me,” Council said, adding that he didn’t recognize the suspects.

Amery Dickerson and Bennett Stone were arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault and battery. They have since been released.

A GoFundMe has been set up to pay for Council’s medical expenses.