Black Lives Matter activist who took Confederate flag from protester fatally shot in New Orleans

Early on Tuesday morning, Black Lives Matter activist Muhiyidin d’Baha was shot and killed in New Orleans.

Police department spokesman Beau Tidwell told The Advocate that d’Baha had been found around 1:25 a.m. He had apparently been shot in the leg while riding his bicycle.

Although d’Baha was taken to the hospital, he ultimately died.

d’Baha was best known for his actions captured on live television last year in which he tried to take a Confederate flag from a protester in South Carolina. The Black Lives Matter activist famously crossed police tape and grabbed the flagpole to try and bring it down.

He was later charged with disorderly conduct.

The confederate-flag waving protesters were members of the South Carolina Secessionist Party. They had come to rally against a speech by Bree Newsome, the woman who famously took down the Confederate flag outside of the South Carolina State House.

Muhiyidin d’Baha remembered

After the news of his death, friends and loved ones posted their memories of theBlack Lives Matter activist.

“What an incredible soul. I knew Moya over ten years ago when he was already so wise and was already bringing so much love and light into the world,” wrote Lindsay Keane, according to the New York Daily News.

Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson said in a Tweet that d’Baha was “such a force and an incredible guy.”

Camille Weaver, who said she was d’Baha’s niece, set up a GoFundMe page to bring her uncle’s body back to Charleston and to pay for the memorial service. By Tuesday evening, the fundraiser had already far surpassed its goal of $7,500 and had raised nearly $15,000.

“Our family is beyond appreciative for the outpouring of love and support we’ve received today,” read a message from Weaver’s account. “Moya was a light and he will shine forever.”

According to the New Orleans Police Department, the investigation into the shooting death of Muhiyidin d’Baha is ongoing. No motive or suspects have been identified.