The Baton Rouge Police Department released new details on the circumstances leading to the hazing death of Caleb Wilson, a Southern University student and trumpet player in the university's Human Jukebox band.
Late Thursday, the police arrested former Southern student Caleb McCray, 23, a member of Omega Psi Phi, the fraternity Wilson was pledging at the time of his death.
McCray is now alleged to have delivered the final blow before Wilson's eventual death, during a pledging ritual in which pledges were made to stand in a line and receive punches from other fraternity members, according to the affidavit detailing probable cause for his arrest. Â
During the ritual, nine pledges of Omega Psi Phi were brought to a flooring company warehouse at 3412 Woodcrest Drive. There, they each changed into grey sweat suits.
The pledges were then lined up, at which point three men, including McCray, took turns punching the pledges in the chest using a pair of black boxing gloves.
The pledges each were punched four times.
McCray landed four punches on Wilson, at which point Wilson collapsed to the floor and began to have a seizure, investigators were told.
The pledges were moved to another room, while the men in leadership attended to Wilson. His clothes were changed and he was loaded, unresponsive, into a vehicle before being transported to Baton Rouge General — Bluebonnet, police said.
Wilson was taken to the hospital in a black Dodge Challenger, wearing only black sweatpants and socks. Hospital staff helped carry the unresponsive student into the building. The men who dropped him off told hospital staff Wilson had been struck in the chest while playing basketball at a Baton Rouge park.
Police were called to the hospital about 2:40 a.m. Feb. 27. After officers talked to the hospital staff, they contacted homicide detectives and crime scene investigators.Â
Wilson's autopsy revealed a small bruise to the right side of his chest.Â
Police think McCray had no intention to cause death or great bodily harm to Wilson.Â
