Warner Robins Police Chief, artist speak on vandalism of mural

During a press conference, Warner Robins Police Chief Wayne Fisher, stated this is not a race crime but didn't disclose the suspects motive.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A man has been arrested, facing multiple charges after the defacement of a mural of civil rights leader John Lewis in Warner Robins.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Warner Robins Police Chief Wayne Fisher, stated this is not a race crime, but didn’t disclose the suspects motive.

“He gave a reason set for that. And that, again, is still part of the investigation,” said Chief Fisher.

He emphasized that the community should not be concerned, as this was a solo act. Although, the Chief did stress the need to solve the case quickly.

“The sensitivity of which it is and again, the history within the South in the civil rights area, period, that a lot of friends of that age group have a lot of historical reference points,” he said.

Kevin Lewis is the artist of the mural and restored it just three days after the incident. He says the negative incident should be turned around and used as something positive.

“What he did is he brought attention back to John Lewis and he got a lot of conversations started up,” said Lewis.

Police say the suspect, Quintin McLin, purchased a paint can from a nearby hardware store and vandalized the mural. Officers later found the paint can and are conducting DNA testing on it.

Chief Fisher highlighted the importance of working together to keep the community safe.

“All of us were part of the same fabric of this community,” Chief Fisher emphasized. “We all have a part to play in creating a safer community in which we all live, work and play.”

The community has shown support for the restoration of the mural, with Lewis expressing he’s working on more projects but had to pause them to fix the mural.