08/10/2026
On behalf of the Apex Juneteenth Festival committee, we are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Mr. Lynn Council at the age of 93. In 1952, Mr. Lynn Council survived an attempted lynching by two Wake County deputies after being arrested and falsely accused by then-Apex Police Chief Sam Bagwell, a grave injustice that could have silenced his story forever. Instead, he carried that history forward with extraordinary grace.
In 2024, we were honored to celebrate him as a recipient of our Apex Freedom Day honorary celebration. That same year, through Dorris Battle and his niece Emmy Council, I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Council at Skippers, a moment that will forever touch me. I asked him his thoughts on Apex after all these years, and he simply said that Apex is a beautiful place. That answer has only strengthened my resolve to help continue to build an Apex that he can remain proud of, and to make sure his story, and the stories of others like him, are never forgotten.
In 2019, under the leadership of Mayor Jacques Gilbert and Chief John Letteney, the Apex Police Department made it right, removing Bagwell’s name from the town’s Walk of Honor and later dedicating a bench in Mr. Lynn Council’s honor outside Apex Police Department headquarters, a small but lasting tribute to his strength and endurance.
His resilience, his faith, and his spirit of reconciliation were a gift to this community. Mr. Lynn Council’s legacy will live on in everything we continue to build. Rest in power, Mr. Lynn Council. Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
Peace,
TJ
