Controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is funding an independent autopsy for a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University in Mississippi, after the student’s family questioned the official ruling of suicide.
Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, was discovered Monday morning near the campus pickleball courts. The county coroner officially ruled Thursday that Reed died by suicide, and police said no foul play was suspected, citing video footage of the incident.
Colin Kaepernick is funding an independent autopsy after the family of Demartravion “Trey” Reed expressed concerns over his death, citing “conflicting accounts and incomplete information” about its cause.
High-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Reed’s family, said Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative will cover a second, independent examination.
“Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered historic wounds over many years and many deaths. Peace will come only by getting to the truth,” Crump said. “We thank Colin Kaepernick for supporting this grieving family and the cause of justice and truth.”
Reed’s death stirred controversy because of the circumstances of how he was found, including unverified rumors that he suffered broken bones. Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr. clarified that Reed “did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault.”
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell condemned the circulating rumors, saying, “I condemn the rumors circulating regarding [Reed’s] death.”
Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative will fund a second, independent autopsy.
Delta State University Police Chief Michael Peeler said investigators are reviewing footage to determine what happened to the computer science major.
Jy’Quon Wallace, president of the school’s African American Student Council, said he saw Reed on Sunday night having a heated phone conversation just hours before his death.
“I could tell he was really upset. He was making gestures, acting like he was throwing things, kicked the wall, and then stormed off toward Blansett Hall,” Wallace told the Clarion Ledger. “He was just out of it. I had never seen him like that before.”
