Lydia Jennings of WALB News is reporting that the death of Kendrick Johnson, a Georgia teen who was found dead in a rolled up cheerleading mat in the Lowndes High School gymnasium in January, was ruled an accident yesterday by investigators. The announcement resulted in a march for justice by Johnson’s family, friends, and other activists, who believe Johnson was murdered.
Jennings writes:
The family says they expected the autopsy report would rule the death as an accident. And they plan to keep rallying until federal investigators step in.
“When you have the body that’s been moved, when you have the Coroner’s Office being notified hours later, when you have the misplacement of his clothing, which could be a direct indicator of any evidence needed to move forward,” said Coleman.
Lowndes County Sheriff’s officials say the statements of his body being moved and his clothes being misplaced are untrue. But Coroner Bill Waston has voiced his anger that he wasn’t notified until hours after Johnson’s body was discovered. The Sheriff’s office says the investigation still remains open.
Read more at WALB News.
This news brief was written by Kaitlin Higgins, editorial assistant for The Burton Wire.
Like The Burton Wire on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
[…] in Tallahassee is reporting that the body of Kendrick Johnson, the 17-year-old high school student whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High […]
[…] athlete suffocated after getting stuck in a rolled-up gym mat while reaching for a sneaker. A march for justice was held in May by Johnson’s family, friends, and other activists, who believe Johnson was […]