Demartravion “Trey” Reed is a 21-year-old student at the Mississippi River Institution.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Delta State University’s body was shocked Monday when the body of a black student was found hanging in a tree in the middle of the campus.
Demartravion “Trey” Reed is a 21-year-old student at the Mississippi River Institution. Recalling the long and painful history of lynching, his death sparked sorrow and anger across the country.
The Bolivar County Coroner’s Office said Monday there was no evidence of foul on the preliminary examination of Reed’s body, including “any cut, contusion, compound crack, fracture or injury consistent with the attack.”
But Reed’s family is calling for their own investigation, including an independent autopsy, and asking for access to videotapes that could reveal more details of their death.
Vanessa J. Jones, a lawyer representing the family, has been seeking transparency from the very beginning. ” Internal Advanced ED. “Especially after such a tragic event, you are dealing with a past history that includes a painful history of racial violence… transparency is crucial.”
Jones said the Reeds’ distrust of the student’s death deepened when officials allowed the mother to see only the body of her son’s body from her neck.
When officials first spoke to their families, they also shared the conflicting details. According to Jones, the Grenada County Sheriff’s Department went to Reed’s grandfather’s house on Monday and said Reed was found dead in his dorm, “an obvious suicide.”
Ben Crump, a well-known civil rights lawyer, accepted the family’s case and said in an article on X that he would lead a team of civil rights leaders and organizers to “pursuing Trey’s family.”
“When so many questions remain, we cannot accept vague conclusions,” he wrote. Krup described Reid as “a young man full of hope and warmth, deeply loved and respected by all who knew him.”
Councillors also requested more information.
“We will never provide real justice for Trey because that will mean he will still be with us,” Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley wrote on X.
Mississippi Representative Bennie G. Thompson called for a federal investigation into Reed’s death.
“It’s always a tragedy when young lives are shortened,” Thompson said in a statement. “We must not hesitate when looking for answers.
University update
In a press conference Wednesday, Delta State President Daniel J. Ennis said Reid’s loss was “destructive” and “the way the way Trey was discovered has stirred up a lot of emotions in this community, as well as many emotions throughout the state and across the country.”
Ennis reiterated the early conclusions of the coroner, but said he recognized the psychological effects of Reed’s death. “It’s not just about facts,” Ennis said. “It’s about emotions, it’s about feelings, the way this loss and how it’s found that affects people’s lives.”
The white Ennis said he acknowledged his weakness because he was “not enough to speak to the image raised by the incident”.
Delta state serves approximately 2,800 students, about 40% of whom are black. Ennis said the campus has been receiving threatening calls and messages since Reed’s death.
“I can say that my heartbreak is all-round, not only Trey (although this is mostly for Trey), but the fact that the rest of the world has the impression of a Delta state is so inconsistent with this institution I know, “people who live and respect each other and respect each other,” he said.
Delta State University Police Chief Mike Peeler told the press that Reed’s body was transported to the Mississippi State University Medical Examiner’s Office for a full autopsy Wednesday morning. Authorities expect a preliminary autopsy within 24 to 48 hours. He said the DSU Police Department, Cleveland Police Department, Mississippi State Investigation Department and the Polyval County Sheriff’s Office plan to update the public about the findings after meeting with Reed’s next gene.
He told reporters that law enforcement officers were reviewing the videos, but he could not provide more details. Pierre also said he had no information about Reed’s family being told that the death occurred in his dorm room.
He stressed at a press conference that “it is an isolated incident”, “there is no positive threat to the campus at the moment” and that “it remains a safe environment for students, faculty and staff.”
“Heartbreak” student
Nevertheless, this serious incident terrified Black students on campus.
“It really makes me feel unsafe to hear another black student,” Stacie Hoskins, a Delta State student, told WAPT16.
The nature of Reed’s death also had an emotional impact on black students on other campuses. Some view it as a foregone conclusion, Reed was killed and issued a statement of support for his classmates.
The black student union at Illinois State University directed students to go to campus for consulting resources, and its executive committee said it was “it was heartbroken by the tragic loss of Trey Reed, who shortened his life by horrible violence. ”
The NAACP chapter of A&T University in North Carolina posted on Instagram that Reed “maybe any of us. Any black student. Any campus.”
“Our education is under attack. Our intellect is under attack. Our existence is under attack.” “We refuse to remain silent. Black lives matter. Black students matter. Always.”
