Just a
few MSM quotes that might help, (and one at the end that frustrated me.)
1/11
Although the exact cause of death is yet to be determined, as of this stage of the investigation, nothing has been discovered to indicate foul play was involved, Prine said in the statement.
That does not mean the investigation has been concluded. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office. Investigators spent hours on the scene Friday, from early morning to past nightfall.
The students body will be sent Monday to a state crime lab for an autopsy which authorities hope will determine an exact cause of death, according to the sheriffs office.
Taking all precautions, Prine told The Times, investigators worked the death scene as a suspected homicide throughout most of the day until the possibility of no foul play became evident later in the afternoon. The sheriff said he could not comment further on an ongoing investigation.
http://goo.gl/ay2Zxo
1/13 "I want to reject my son being sent to the crime lab without us identifying his body. We must be able to see his body before he leaves," said Kenneth Johnson, the victim's father.
"He's the perfect son that anybody would want. I'm going to miss all his laughs, all his smiles. And they just took all that away from an unviolent man," said Kenneth Johnson.
Sheriff Chris Prine came out personally to meet with the family and respond to their concerns." 1/16 We reported Sunday the family was upset about not being allowed to see their son's body.
We've learned the Sheriff did allow them to do it later that night after our interview. http://tinyurl.com/c5ngf48
1/15 Although investigators do not believe foul play was involved, the sheriff said he and his investigators will continue interviewing students and friends who have additional information.
http://tinyurl.com/pnlehwx
1/15 Interviews were conducted with members of Kendrick Johnson's family and his friends and to their knowledge he did not have a cellular phone.
http://tinyurl.com/k5svlyq
1/16 You must step down, said Kenneth Johnson to school officials. "My son was in the school's care and they didn't protect my son." "Sheriff Prine, it's time to step down brother. We got way too many kids out there still. You didn't protect my son. You ain't going to protect them either."
1/16 On Behalf of Superintendent Wes Taylor:
Valdosta, GA - As law enforcement continues to investigate the details leading to the tragic death of one of our students, Kendrick Johnson, the administrators, teachers, and board members of the Lowndes County School System want to again express our sorrow to the family and friends of Kendrick. Kendrick was a sophomore at Lowndes High and had been a student in the Lowndes County Schools since the second grade.
Our grief is elevated because Jacquelyn Johnson, Kendricks mother, is a valued employee and friend of the Lowndes County School System. Mrs. Johnson has been a bus driver in our system for 10 years. When she is ready, we and the students on her route look forward to her return.
Additional counselors, social workers, and school psychologists have been made available this past week to help our Lowndes High students and staff deal with this tragic loss.
We are supportive of the way our student body has organized to honor their lost friend and fellow classmate. The students have displayed a level of maturity and empathy in supporting the Johnson family that makes us all proud.
We, as a school family, extend our love, prayers, and support for Kendricks family, friends, and fellow students in this time of grief.
We will continue to cooperate with the Lowndes County Sheriffs Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in their ongoing investigation.
http://tinyurl.com/pnlehwx
1/19 (referring to funeral)
Kendricks friends spoke, so did his football and basketball coach http://tinyurl.com/lrfjqqu
10/17 Benjamin Crump: Kendrick Johnson left home to go to school like any typical teenager and returned the next day in a body bag. It's important for your readers to know that they live in rural Georgia and the school was mostly white. There is evidence that Kendrick may have been involved in a fight with some young white student weeks before, and that event may have precipitated his death. But what is most disturbing is that the school has refused to release the full video from four surveillance cameras in the gymnasium where he was found dead.
This reeks of foul play.
Police claim this was an accident, but the facts of the case don't support that conclusion. It flies in the face of all common sense. And now that we have the report from the second autopsy, this story has become a real-life murder mystery.
If you see the photos of Kendrick's broken body, the images are a stark reminder of Emmett Till. I can't believe that once again, in the American South, there is a brutal murder of a young black boy, and the police have decided to spin a tale of accidental death.
What it says is that black parents must fear sending their child to school and not knowing whether that child will return home safely.
http://tinyurl.com/q6pyucw
