One arrest has been made and at least two more are expected 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.
“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," Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Thomas Morse Jr. told reporters.
Caleb McCray 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's attorney, Phillip Robinson, said his client deserved due process.
“I maintain my client’s innocence and urge the public to withhold rushing to judgment until all the evidence is heard,” Robinson said in an emailed statement.
McCray and his family declined to comment, Robinson added.
Southern University suspends fraternity and pledging
Wilson was initially brought to a hospital by a group of men who falsely said that he had “collapsed while playing basketball at a park" but in fact had suffered injuries at a warehouse, Morse said.
The group left before police arrived at the hospital and no one contacted 911 at any point, he added.
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, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar 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.
Omega Psi Phi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Large vigil for victim
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.
“He walked this campus with a purpose,” Chaselynn Grant, a longtime friend of Wilson’s, told The Advocate. “I know he is smiling down.”
Among Wilson’s passions was music. He played trumpet for the university’s famous marching band, known as the “Human Jukebox,” which recently performed at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
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.”
___
Brook reported from New Orleans.
