Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback turned activist, is covering the cost of an independent autopsy for Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a Black student found hanging from a tree, after Reed’s family disputed the official suicide ruling.
Reed, 21, was found dead hanging from a tree at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. On Thursday, the county coroner ruled Reed’s death a suicide, and police claim that there was no foul play and alluded to a possible video of the student’s tragic death, the New York Post reports.
Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the family, notes that Reed’s family has “raised serious concerns” about his death “after receiving conflicting accounts and incomplete information about the cause of his death.”
Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative” will pay for an independent autopsy.
“Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many deaths. Peace will come only by getting to the truth,” Crump said in a statement.
“We thank Colin Kaepernick for supporting this grieving family and the cause of justice and truth.”
Rumors surrounding Reed’s death began shortly after his body was found, with some claiming that the computer science major suffered broken bones, which could indicate foul play.
However, Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr. debunked the rumor earlier this week, claiming that Reed “did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones or injuries consistent with an assault,” the Post reports.
Jy’Quon Wallace, president of the school’s African American Student Council, told the Clarion Ledger that he saw Reed the night before his body was found and noted that he was visibly upset after a heated phone call.
“I could tell he was real upset,” Wallace said. “He was making gestures and was acting like he was throwing stuff. He would kick the wall and then he stormed off toward Blansett Hall.”
“He was just out of it. He was real upset, and I had never seen him like that before.”
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