Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana announced the first arrest Friday in a string of expected arrests in the fraternity death of Caleb Wilson, a 20-year-old Southern university student who said he had not responded when he was repeatedly punched in boxing gloves at a warehouse last week and dropped into the emergency room.
Caleb McCray, 23, a member of Omega PSI Phi Fraternity, was charged with manslaughter and felony criminal Hayes, according to court records. Authorities said at a press conference Friday that two other suspects could soon be arrested.
McCray was identified by a witness as the person who punched Wilson, the arrest warrant affidavit said. He threw himself into authorities on Thursday and was booked to East Baton Rouge Parish Jail, police said.
Those who took Wilson to Baton Rouge General Medical Center told employees the night of his death that he fell after being hit in the chest while playing basketball before fleeing the hospital, authorities said.
But investigators said they learned that it wasn't true.
As part of the Hayes ritual of the Beta Sigma chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Mr Wilson and several other pledges lined up, each being slapped four times in boxing gloves on his chest.
The repeated blows caused him to collapse on the floor and suffer from what appeared to be a seizure, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
“Caleb Wilson passed away as a direct result of the Hayes incident, which was punched multiple times in his heart, pledging to the fraternity of Omega Pasi-Phi,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas S. Morse Jr. told a news conference.
On Thursday, the university, a historically black facility, ordered a fraternity chapter to cease all activities and suspended its pledges for all Greek organizations for the rest of the school year.
“As this case progresses, the university will continue to work fully and actively with law enforcement,” said Dennis J. Shields, president of the Southern University System, during a joint briefing on the case.
The fraternity, which could face civil penalties under Louisiana's anti-hemostat law, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
However, a representative from Omega Psi Phi told The Associated Press that the organization is “sadly saddened by the tragic circumstances of universities in the South,” and that “we are committed to working with and supporting all ongoing investigations to uncover the truth.”
If convicted of manslaughter, McCray could face up to 40 years in prison.
Hayes could be on felony charges in Louisiana under the Max Gruber Act, named after a Louisiana State University student who died of alcoholism in 2017 as part of a fraternity ritual.
In the event of physical harm, death, or if the victim's blood alcohol level is .30 or higher, he could face up to five years in prison, which is more than three times the legal limit.
In a statement, McCray's lawyer, Phillip M. Robinson, urged the public not to book clients.
“At this point, I have not been presented with any evidence to support such serious charges,” he said. “I urge the public to maintain the innocence of my clients and refrain from rushing to judge until all the evidence is heard.”
None of the evidence gathered suggested that McCray was “intended to cause death or major bodily harm to any of the pledges,” the arrest warrant affidavit said.
Investigators said Mr Wilson and the other pledges were grey sweating during Hayes' ritual, but his clothes had been changed before being taken to the Dodge Challenger's passenger hospital, seen on security camera footage.
“No one ever called 911,” Prime Minister Morse said.
The death of Wilson, a junior who studied engineering and was a member of the university's “Human Jukebox” marching band, took away grief and respect.
Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards said at a press conference: “Baton Rouge, we have to do better.”
