BATON ROUGE — Caleb Wilson, a Southern University student who was killed in a fraternity hazing ritual last month, will be honored during a public memorial on Friday at Southern’s campus.
The memorial will be held at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. A public viewing will take place from noon to 5 p.m., followed by a celebration of life service.
Services for Wilson will continue on Saturday at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Kenner. A viewing will be held from 8 to 9:45 a.m., with the service beginning at 10 a.m. Pilgrim Baptist Church will stream the service live on its Facebook, YouTube, and other social media pages.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Caleb Wilson Foundation at 3600 Williams Blvd., Suite 8, PMB 15, Kenner, LA 70065.
Wilson’s death investigation
Wilson died as a result of an unsanctioned fraternity ritual at a warehouse off Greenwell Springs Road. Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse stated that Wilson, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering and a member of the Human Jukebox, was fatally injured during an alleged initiation event for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
“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,” Morse said during a news conference Friday morning.
Three men have been arrested in connection with Wilson’s death and face criminal hazing charges.
Last week, Baton Rouge police arrested Caleb McCray, 23, on charges of criminal hazing and manslaughter. Police allege that McCray punched Wilson four times before he collapsed and appeared to suffer a seizure.
Kyle Thurman, 25, and Isaiah Smith, 28, were charged this week with felony criminal hazing.
MORE: Hazing can be considered a felony in Louisiana under the Max Gruver Act passed in 2018
According to a police arrest warrant affidavit, surveillance footage showed Smith removing Wilson from his vehicle and bringing him to a hospital.
“At no time did anyone call 911 attempt to call 911 or try to summon an ambulance to the warehouse to give him medical aid,” Morse said.
Baton Rouge police were notified by medical personnel around 3 a.m. on February 27 that Wilson had arrived at the hospital under suspicious circumstances. The affidavit states that Wilson’s clothing was changed before he was brought in.
The arrest warrant further alleges that Wilson and eight other pledges were taken to the warehouse for a meeting, where they were instructed to change into gray sweatpants. During this meeting, the pledges were allegedly lined up and punched four times with boxing gloves by three individuals.
Southern University has launched an internal investigation into Wilson’s death, calling it an “unfortunate and unnecessary loss of life,” according to a press release issued on March 4. Southern University System President Dennis Shields emphasized that the university is fully cooperating with law enforcement and is committed to preventing similar incidents in the future.
“We place the quality of the experience our students have on our campus, and we have high standards for that, and we intend to preserve those standards and act expeditiously to resolve this matter so that nothing like this happens again in the future,” Shields said.
Counseling services are available for Southern University students, faculty, and staff. Those resources can be found here.
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