Georgians Rally for Man Attacked By Marines

Some 150 people gathered Sunday afternoon in Savannah, Ga., to call for a state hate-crime law and to rally for Kieran Daly (pictured), the gay man beaten by two Marines who claim he winked at them. Meanwhile, the victim denied allegations that he used racial slurs against a driver in an unrelated road rage incident this past winter.

According to the Savannah Morning News, supporters gathered downtown at Johnson Square, near the spot where Keil Joseph Cronauer and Christopher Charles Stanzel beat Daly early in the morning of June 12. The two Marines, who were arrested on misdemeanor battery charges, have been placed on restriction at a base in South Carolina.

Georgia does not have a state hate-crime law, but the FBI is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime on the federal level. Next steps in the case are planned for Monday, the Morning News reported.

"Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman Gena Moore has said Daly and his attorney are expected to meet today with investigators for a long-awaited second interview, which will determine whether allegations against the two Marines, Keil Joseph Cronauer, 22, and Christopher Charles Stanzel, 23, warrant more serious charges. She said Daly also is expected to turn over his medical records to investigators."

Daly, who is recovering at home from the attack that left him unconscious and hospitalized with a head injury, did not attend the rally Sunday. On Saturday, he released a statement to deny charges that he used racial slurs against another Georgia driver in a road rage incident in January, The Augusta Chronicle reported.

"A Port Wentworth police report released Saturday stated Daly was charged in the January incident with aggressive driving, battery and affray," reported the Chronicle. "He uttered the slurs toward another driver, which led to an exchange of punches, the report stated."

In his statement, Daly said, "While it is true that I was arrested for battery, affray and reckless driving, those three charges were dismissed in lieu of a guilty plea to a city ordinance violation of disorderly conduct, which is neither a misdemeanor nor a felony. Furthermore, the incident in question is irrelevant to the events that took place on June 12."