Southern University graduate charged in hazing death
A Southern University graduate has been detained and police said they expect to make at least two more arrests Friday in connection with the death of 20-year-old Kenner native Caleb Wilson during an off-campus fraternity initiation.
Wilson's death has rattled the New Orleans metro community, which honored the young musician with a memorial second-line Thursday night.
The latest: Caleb McCray, 23, a Southern graduate and member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, was arrested and charged with criminal hazing and manslaughter, Baton Rouge police Chief Thomas Morse Jr. said Friday.
McCray's attorney, Phillip M. Robinson, said in a statement to Axios New Orleans that he has "not been presented with any evidence to support such serious accusations. I maintain my client's innocence and urge the public to withhold rushing to judgment until all the evidence is heard."
Catch up quick: Police say Wilson died after he was punched in the chest during an initiation ritual for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which is one of the Divine Nine Black Greek organizations.
The ritual took place at a Baton Rouge warehouse, police said, and "at no time did anyone call 911 or attempt to call 911 or summon an ambulance to the warehouse to give him medical aid," Morse said.
Southern has referred to the event as "unsanctioned off-campus activities."
The fraternity has "been ordered to cease all activities," Southern University president Dennis Shields said Friday, and all of Southern's Greek organizations were told to halt new member activities for the remainder of the academic year.
Expulsion of students and ending Omega Psi Phi's campus presence are under consideration, Shields said.
What they're saying: In a statement, the fraternity's international president, or grand basileus, Ricky L. Lewis, said the organization expressed support for the school's investigation and for Wilson's family.
"Caleb was more than a beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew and cousin — he was a scholar, an exceptional member of the Southern University Marching Band, and a passionate and dedicated leader in student life."
Context: U.S. colleges have seen at least one hazing-related campus death per year since 1970, according to a North Carolina State University data review.
Hazing was officially banned from Black Greek organizations in 1990, but has continued in the form of unsanctioned or underground processes.
Few deaths have been related to historically Black organizations, according to the Black Youth Project, with a dozen of 219 tracked hazing deaths attributed to the Divine Nine.
"I encourage all the young people out there to make better decisions," Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards said. "We gotta do better, Baton Rouge."
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