John Skaggs, the 52-year-old gay man who was brutally attacked with a pool cue at a downtown Shreveport bar last week, tells KSLA 12 that he’s convinced it was a hate crime. Skaggs is home from the hospital, but as you can see in the video below, he’s barely able to talk due to the injuries he suffered, and he’ll need reconstructive surgery. The man who attacked Skaggs, 32-year-old William Payne, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and the commission of a hate crime. Under Louisiana law, the hate crime charge carries an additional sentence of up to five years in prison, which must be served consecutively.
