Activist Kaepernick funds independent autopsy for student

By AFRO Employees

Activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is funding a second, unbiased post-mortem for Demartravion “Trey” Reed, the Delta State College scholar whose physique was discovered hanging from a tree on campus Sept. 15.

The process will probably be funded by way of Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights Camp Post-mortem Initiative” as quickly as Reed’s physique is launched by the state health worker, introduced civil rights and private harm lawyer Benjamin Crump, who represents the sufferer’s household.

Crump stated Reed’s household has raised severe considerations after receiving conflicting accounts and incomplete details about the circumstances of the 21-year-old’s demise, and that he would conduct an unbiased investigation on their behalf.

“Trey’s demise evoked the collective reminiscence of a group that has suffered a historic wound over many, a few years and lots of, many deaths,” Crump stated in an announcement. “Peace will come solely by attending to the reality. We thank Colin Kaepernick for supporting this grieving household and the reason for justice and fact.”

The information of the second post-mortem got here sooner or later after Mississippi’s state health worker dominated that Reed’s demise was attributable to suicide.

The police division in Cleveland, the place the campus is positioned, introduced the findings in a information launch. It stated the post-mortem outcomes have been in keeping with a preliminary examination of the physique by the Bolivar County coroner, which discovered no proof of foul play.

The Black scholar’s demise instantly ignited sturdy feelings in a Southern state with a historical past of racist violence, the AP reported.

Even earlier than the post-mortem outcomes have been introduced, the coed’s household and their legal professionals had known as for an unbiased post-mortem and implored police to indicate them any safety digital camera recordings and different video gathered as proof. 

Cleveland police launched no particulars of the post-mortem’s findings apart from to say the reason for demise was hanging and the style of demise had been dominated a suicide. It stated outcomes of toxicology exams are nonetheless pending and will take weeks.

The assertion stated police are nonetheless investigating the coed’s demise and that evidentiary recordsdata within the case are being shared with the FBI and federal prosecutors.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, had beforehand known as on the FBI to analyze.

The Related Press contributed to this story.