AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The death of a college student in Mississippi has officially been ruled a suicide by the county coroner after drawing national attention and renewed scrutiny of the state's history of racial violence. The body of 21-year-old Trey Reed was found hanging from a tree on campus Monday morning. Now there's a call for another independent autopsy. Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Will Stribling reports.
WILL STRIBLING, BYLINE: Trey Reed had been at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, for just one month when his body was found near the pickleball courts on campus. While local officials have said there is no evidence of foul play, Mississippi's history of racial violence looms large. More than 650 lynchings of mostly Black men have been reported in the state's history. That legacy quickly fueled speculation online that Reed may have been murdered. During a press conference this week, Delta State President Dan Ennis was mindful of how the circumstances of Reed's death complicated the situation.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
DANIEL ENNIS: We recognize that this is not only about facts. It's about emotions, and it's about feelings, and the way this loss and how it was discovered affects people's lives.
STRIBLING: Law enforcement had to counter rumors that Reed's legs were broken. Throughout the week, university police Chief Michael Peeler maintained that the university was safe.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MICHAEL PEELER: Due to the support of the state and local law enforcement and the increased law enforcement presence here at Delta State, there are currently no active threats to the campus.
STRIBLING: Individuals and prominent national organizations like the NAACP took to social media and called Reed's death a lynching. Mississippi's public safety commissioner, Sean Tindell, says he understands why the state's history of racial violence would raise questions about Reed's death, but he says it's wrong for people to exploit it.
SEAN TINDELL: We haven't had a documented case of a lynching in decades. So when somebody jumps to that conclusion, I would believe that they're just trying to get the clickbait and get you to come look at their stuff.
STRIBLING: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement that the family will commission an independent autopsy. Some of Reed's family members say they've been left in the dark throughout the week. Their attorney, Vanessa Jones, criticized the university for a lack of transparency and demanded the release of video footage from security cameras.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
VANESSA JONES: From the moment he left his dorm room or entered the campus, there should be surveillance of all of his actions, and that's what we want. Bring the surveillance, bring the cameras, so that we'll know exactly what happened to Trey Reed.
STRIBLING: But the university says they can only share information with two people listed as Reed's emergency contacts. It's not clear who those contacts are. Officials say all materials in the case have been turned over to the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office. The Southern Poverty Law Center called for thorough investigations, not only in this case but also into the death of a white homeless man found hanging in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the same day. For NPR News, I'm Will Stribling in Jackson. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.