For the first time since a 20-year-old Southern University male student died last week, the university and Baton Rouge authorities said Tuesday his death is being investigated by law enforcement as a possible act of fraternity hazing.
University officials said in a statement they actively support the ongoing criminal investigation of an "alleged act of hazing" that led to the death of Caleb Wilson, a former junior engineering student.
Wilson, a Kenner native and son of a longtime Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy, died Thursday morning at a Baton Rouge hospital, after he was found in North Sherwood Forest Park.
The investigation by the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office to determine the circumstances of Wilson's death involves members of the Beta Sigma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., university officials said.
Baton Rouge Police described its probe in this case as a hazing investigation, but would not confirm Tuesday if it is treating Wilson's death as a homicide at this time.
Southern also said Tuesday the university is conducting its own internal investigation into what led to the death of "this beloved student," a Human Jukebox trumpet player. Once the probe is complete, university officials will take appropriate action, they said.
The university said hazing is a violation of the school's rules and regulations, as well as a violation of Louisiana law, adding "it will not be tolerated in any form at Southern University," according to the school's statement.
"The well-being of our students is a part of our mission to provide an extraordinary education for thousands of students," according to the university's statement.
"We support punishment to the fullest extent of the law for anyone committing an act of violence that impedes a student from safely and successfully matriculating at Southern."
Meanwhile, a full autopsy report on Wilson is not yet complete, Baton Rouge Coroner's Office chief of investigations Shane Tindall said Friday. The cause and manner of his death are undetermined pending additional tests, Tindall said.
Wilson's family thanked the community Friday for its "unwavering" support. The former Southern student's father, Corey Wilson, worked 35 years as a deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
After recently retiring, he returned to the sheriff's office to work part-time. The elder Wilson also has worked security details for New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson. Caleb Wilson's mother is a student at Southern University's New Orleans campus.Â
The statement released Friday on behalf of the family by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said, "We are committed to seeking the truth about the circumstances surrounding Caleb's passing and ensuring that no other family has to endure such a tragedy."
Also Friday, Omega Psi Phi International declined to comment when an Advocate reporter asked to confirm Wilson's affiliation with the fraternity. The fraternity had released a statement earlier that day mourning his loss, as well, saying it fully supported the investigation of his death.
Southern University halted all club recruiting activities at the Baton Rouge campus late Thursday, including those related to Greek life. The indefinite suspension was due to Wilson's death, a university spokesman said at the time.
In its Tuesday statement, Southern officials noted the halt of club recruiting, calling it a "ban on membership intake for all student organizations that remains in effect until further notice."
Omega Psi Phi also was kicked off Southern's Baton Rouge campus in 2005, archives from The Advocate | The Times-Picayune show. The university ordered a three-year expulsion, after university officials found "overwhelming evidence" a fraternity pledge was severely beaten, with injuries that led to internal bleeding.
More recently, Omega Psi Phi was  in 2016 after university officials found the fraternity responsible for complicity, endangerment and hazing violations of the student code of conduct. LSU found the fraternity "engaged in hazing activities." They included sleep deprivation, personal servitude, 5 a.m. workouts, skipping class and more.
Omega Psi Phi has since returned to LSU's campus.
The Louisiana Legislature sought to tighten laws around hazing, after the 2017 death of Max Gruver a former LSU student who belonged to Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Gruver was forced to drink excessively during a fraternity ritual called "Bible Study."
Gruver's death sparked changes in state law that elevated criminal hazing to a felony. That prompted LSU and the national fraternity to reach legal settlements with the Gruver family and led to the negligent homicide conviction of one of his Phi Delta fraternity brothers.Â
