An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a 20-year-old Southern University student after an off-campus fraternity hazing ritual, Baton Rouge authorities announced Friday.
Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Thomas Morse Jr. told reporters at a briefing that Caleb Wilson “died as a direct result of a hazing incident where he was punched in the chest multiple times while pledging to Omega Psi Phi fraternity.”
Caleb McCray, 23, was arrested Thursday evening and faces charges of manslaughter and criminal hazing in the death of Wilson, a mechanical engineering junior at the school who died in late February. McCray is a former Southern University student, according to CBS News affiliate WAFB.
Wilson had been taking part in an off-campus and unsanctioned fraternity ritual, WAFB reported. Other pledges and members of the fraternity were present. No one called 911 or attempted to summon an ambulance to the location, Morse said.
A group of men brought Wilson to the hospital and said he had collapsed while playing basketball at a park, Morse said. The group left the hospital before police arrived.
Morse said over a dozen people were interviewed as part of the investigation. He could not say whether those who lied about what happened to Wilson will face charges, WAFB reported.
East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said two additional people, who have not been publicly identified, will be charged with misdemeanor hazing.
McCray’s attorney, Phillip Robinson, said his client deserves due process and asked the public “to withhold rushing to judgment until all the evidence is heard” in an emailed statement. McCray and his family declined to comment, Robinson said.
In Louisiana, hazing can be a felony under the Max Gruver Act, which passed in 2018 and was named after a Louisiana State University student who died of alcohol poisoning after hazing at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.
Under the act, if a person being hazed dies or is seriously injured, violators face up to a $10,000 fine and five years in prison. Organizations, representatives and officers of an organization, and educational institutions can also face penalties.
Omega Psi Phi could face civil penalties under the act, Moore said.
The fraternity’s campus chapter has been ordered to “cease all activities” and students involved in Wilson’s death could face expulsion, Southern University President Dennis Shields told reporters.
All campus Greek life organizations are barred from taking on any additional members through the remainder of the academic year, he added. The school is conducted its own internal investigation and student judiciary process into the incident, CBS News previously reported.
Omega Psi Phi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hundreds of Southern University students, alumni, staff and state leaders gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening in honor of Wilson.
Friends and family took turns telling stories about Wilson, who by a number of accounts was joyous, bright, talented and driven. Wilson was a member of the university’s famous “Human Jukebox” marching band.
“His light does not die with himself. It dies with all of us. We have to make sure his light lives within all of us and make sure you stand up tall like he’s on your shoulders reaching for the sky,” said one friend, according to WAFB.
Wilson was a trumpet player in the university’s famous “Human Jukebox” marching band, which recently performed at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Earlier this week, the band honored Wilson in a tribute that marched through the streets of New Orleans. Band members played “Love Light In Flight” and wore mourning bands. In a post on Facebook, the band wrote that members carried Wilson’s spirit “with every step and every note.”
“This was more than just a performance,” the post read. “It was a tribute, a farewell and a promise that Caleb’s legacy will live on.”
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