Ex-cop, his family accused of racist attack against Black banker at New Hampshire diner
A Black bank executive was attacked by a former police officer and his family members when he visited a New Hampshire diner on Thanksgiving Eve last year, according to a civil rights complaint.
Aaron Goodwin assaulted the man who was picking up food at Gilley’s Diner in Portsmouth, a complaint filed by New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella says. Goodwin’s brother and sister-in-law assaulted another Black man, who witnessed the parking lot attack, according to the complaint.
The assaults on both men were racially motivated, the state Department of Justice said in an Oct. 29 news release.
Mamadou Dembele, an executive at Bangor Savings Bank, filed a federal lawsuit against Goodwin for negligence, battery and assault on Oct. 21, about a week before the attorney general’s complaint.
Dembele had been friendly toward the former officer inside Gilley’s Diner, but Kevin and Shannon Goodwin became hostile and hurled racist comments, according to his lawsuit.
Surveillance footage later showed Aaron Goodwin throwing Dembele to the ground outside of the diner, the lawsuit says.
Aaron Goodwin was fired from the Portsmouth Police Department in 2015 in connection with him convincing a woman with dementia to leave the majority of her estate to him, Seacoastonline reported.
On Sept. 17, Aaron Goodwin pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor simple assault charge in relation to the incident involving Dembele, according to the state attorney general.
Dembele, a “really nice man,” was assaulted while trying to get a hot dog, his attorney in the civil case, Michael S. Lewis, told McClatchy News on Oct. 31.
Aaron Goodwin denies that the incident involving Dembele was racially motivated, his defense attorney, John Durkin, told McClatchy News on Oct. 31.
“His actions were motivated by the belief that he needed to protect himself and others against impending physical harm,” Durkin said.
Information regarding Kevin Goodwin and Shannon Goodwin’s legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
What happened at the diner?
On the evening of Nov. 22, Dembele arrived at Gilley’s Diner after he was at a cigar bar and encountered Aaron, Kevin and Shannon Goodwin inside, the civil rights complaint says.
After noticing Dembele had an accent, Shannon Goodwin asked him where he was from, according to the complaint, which says he told her he was from Africa.
Dembele was called a “moron” by Kevin Goodwin, who “told him that Africa was a continent, not a country,” the complaint says.
Aaron Goodwin then told Dembele that he “smells bad,” according to the complaint.
Dembele explained he was at a cigar bar and gave Aaron Goodwin a cigar, the complaint says.
Dembele’s lawsuit says this gesture was “a sign of friendship and goodwill.”
Kevin Goodwin got angry, according to the civil rights complaint, which says he asked his brother “why he was talking to ‘this (expletive) moron’” and said Dembele “was too poor to afford a good cigar.”
Dembele didn’t respond to Kevin Goodwin’s insults, according to the complaint. Then all three Goodwins left after getting their food.
The assaults in the parking lot
After Dembele received his food, he saw Aaron Goodwin and his family members in the diner’s parking lot, the complaint says.
Kevin Goodwin told Dembele to leave, according to the complaint, which says Dembele asked what his “problem was with him.”
Shannon Goodwin became “belligerent,” yelled at Dembele and called him a racial slur, the complaint says.
At the time, a Black man and Asian man had arrived in the parking lot and were heading into the restaurant when they stopped and watched, according to the complaint.
Shannon Goodwin is accused of berating the two men and calling them racial slurs.
She then “became aggressive with (Dembele)” and “had to be physically held back,” the complaint says.
Aaron Goodwin walked over to Dembele and yanked him to the ground, according to the complaint.
The two men went to approach Dembele upon seeing this, the complaint says. Then Kevin Goodwin charged them and shoved the Black man, calling him a racial slur, according to the complaint.
Shannon Goodwin struck the Black man in the face and chest as Aaron Goodwin circled Dembele, “who remained on the ground,” the complaint says.
Dembele’s lawsuit includes photos of surveillance footage that captured the assault.
The lawsuit says that after Aaron Goodwin assaulted him, Dembele “struggled to get back to his feet after momentarily losing full consciousness.”
Ultimately, a restaurant employee called the police, according to the state’s complaint.
The attack left Dembele with a concussion and needing surgery for a tear to his left Achilles tendon, according to his lawsuit.
Witnesses asked to come forward
According to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, the two men who witnessed the attack didn’t provide their names to police.
“We ask that the two witnesses who attempted to aid Mr. Dembele who are depicted in the images in our complaint, and who are also described in the AG’s complaint, come forward to assist Mr Dembele and the AG’s office in their respective matters,” Lewis said. “We ask that anyone with information about their identities come forward.”
After Aaron Goodwin pleaded guilty, the civil rights complaint says he was sentenced to serve 30 days of incarceration — a sentence that was suspended for two years on certain conditions.
Durkin told McClatchy News that Dembele has falsely accused “Aaron Goodwin of being a racist” and that he changed his story about what happened.
“It is hard to see any basis for the Attorney General’s complaint,” Durkin said.
Kevin Goodwin pleaded guilty on Aug. 26 to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to pay a $500 fine and $120 penalty, according to the complaint.
Shannon Goodwin’s “case remains open as she is living out of state,” the complaint says.
The accusations that Aaron, Kevin and Shannon Goodwin have violated the state’s Civil Rights Act have to be proved at a hearing, according to the state Department of Justice.
The complaint asks “the court to implement a preliminary restraining order to protect the victims and the public from the Goodwins.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Ex-cop, his family accused of racist attack against Black banker at New Hampshire diner."
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