Created: 10/27/2009 6:37:42 PM 
Caswell County, NC -- Members of a civil rights group want a Caswell County man to face harsher charges in connection to a September shooting.
A grand jury indicted John Fuqua in the shooting of two African American children in September. Deputies say the children were walking along the road in front of Fuqua's house with another child when he fired a shotgun in their direction. One child was hit in the face and the other was hit in the arm. Neighbors said they heard Fuqua yell racial slurs before the incident happened.
Fuqua is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, but at a news conference Tuesday, members of the North Carolina NAACP announced they want to see Fuqua charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
The president of the North Carolina NAACP, Rev. William Barber, said it has been a faulty investigation on part of local law enforcement from the beginning, and condemned the fact that Fugua's bond was originally set at $5,000, although it was eventually increased.
Barber said he believes the the crime was racially motivated and he wants to see justice served.
"This is dangerous not just for black children, but for all children, to trivialize this in this matter. This is too serious, too serious for us to just take it lightly," he said.
Caswell County District Attorney Joel Brewer said ethnic intimidation is a misdemeanor in North Carolina and he supports the NAACP's effort to launch a federal investigation. He said he was the first person to contact the US Justice Department about this case, since his reach only goes as far as North Carolina law, not federal law.
A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office said the office is aware of the situation and monitoring the local prosecution.
Fuqua's next court appearance is Nov. 10.
