87-year-old civil rights activist brutally beaten and robbed in home invasion

Content Warning — Civil rights activist Dr. Ellena Gooch‑Reid says she was beaten and robbed during a home invasion inside her Ripley, Tennessee, home a month ago. She has been recovering from broken bones, deep head wounds and severe facial injuries.

Welfare Check Leads to Shocking Discovery

According to News Channel 3, a friend went to check on her on September 9 after she stopped answering calls. When the friend entered the home, she found Gooch‑Reid on the floor of a back room, covered in blood and unable to stand. Her purse, wallet, phone and credit card were missing.

Gooch‑Reid earned her doctorate in theology and once stood beside the late John Lewis during the civil rights movement. She told investigators she remembered being punched in the face, stomped on, hit on the head and attacked with a knife. She said she tried to shield her head as the blows continued.

Doctors later confirmed she suffered two broken arms, multiple lacerations, fractures in her hand and severe swelling around her right eye.

Events Leading Up to the Attack

Before the assault, Gooch‑Reid told reporters she had helped a local boy buy school clothes. She believes that same youth — or someone connected to him — returned and attacked her. The detail adds weight to investigators’ timeline and highlights her long history of helping others.

Arrest Warrants Issued

Ripley Police Chief Mitchell Turner announced that detectives issued arrest warrants for two suspects: an unidentified juvenile and Kevin Harper Jr..

They face charges including:

• attempted second‑degree murder
• aggravated assault
• aggravated burglary
• aggravated robbery
• aggravated abuse of an elderly person
• financial exploitation of an elderly person and multiple counts of theft

Dr. Ellena Gooch-Reid Wants Justice

Although Gooch‑Reid is recovering, friends say she remains fearful and in significant pain. She continues to push for justice and wants the attackers found so other elderly residents can feel safe.

“But I am encouraged by the people who are praying for me, the people who stop by,” said Gooch. My desire is that no one else has to go through this. So I am praying for the elderly who are victimized and all because they are the elderly, and don’t have the defenses sometimes to help themselves,” said Gooch.