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==Death== |
==Death== |
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According to Sue Benedict, Nex's mother, pupils at the [[Owasso High School]] had been bullying Nex due to their identity for a year prior to the incident.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-22 |title=Non-binary student Nex Benedict who died after bathroom assault was a 'shining light' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-oklahoma-ossawa-non-binary-b2500209.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223200754/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-oklahoma-ossawa-non-binary-b2500209.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Nex Benedict's 21-minute interview with a police officer, recorded on the officer's body camera at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso at 4 p.m. on February 7, Benedict told him that they had been "jumped" in the school bathroom |
According to Sue Benedict, Nex's mother, pupils at the [[Owasso High School]] had been bullying Nex due to their identity for a year prior to the incident.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-22 |title=Non-binary student Nex Benedict who died after bathroom assault was a 'shining light' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-oklahoma-ossawa-non-binary-b2500209.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223200754/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-oklahoma-ossawa-non-binary-b2500209.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Nex Benedict's 21-minute interview with a police officer, recorded on the officer's body camera at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso at 4 p.m. on February 7, Benedict told him that they had been "jumped" in the school bathroom.<ref name=":3">{{Citation |title=OPD 2024-3316 Community Release |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJaBumoyRGg |access-date=2024-02-25 |language=en |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225103705/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJaBumoyRGg |url-status=live }}</ref>{{or|date=February 2024}}<ref name="Advocate - police video"/> Sue Benedict stated that Nex complained about the three girls that had not been "leaving them alone", including "calling them names" and "throwing things at them" in the week leading up to the incident.<ref name="Oklahoman">{{Cite news |title=Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death |url=https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/owasso-police-release-audio-video-recordings-from-investigation-into-nex-benedicts-death |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224052524/https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/owasso-police-release-audio-video-recordings-from-investigation-into-nex-benedicts-death |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |access-date=February 24, 2024 |work=[[KJRH]]}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> |
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Benedict added that after stacking chairs in the school cafeteria, they and their friends went into the nearby girls' bathroom. There they encountered the three freshmen girls who Benedict said had been hassling them. Benedict said to the officer that both sides only spoke and laughed with each other but then one of the freshmen girls said “something like, ‘Why do they laugh like that?’” Benedict then went up to the girls and threw water at them from a plastic bottle. Benedict told the officer:<blockquote>“And so I went up there and I poured water on them, and then all three of them came at me. They came at me. They grabbed on my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground, started beating the shit out of me. And then my friends tried to jump in and help. But I'm not sure; I blacked out.”<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>The school issued a statement on February 20, 2024, saying the students involved were in the restroom for less than two minutes and the "physical altercation" was broken up by other students who were present in the restroom and a staff member who was supervising outside of the restroom. The school said all students “walked under their own power” to the nurse, where they were given a health assessment, and to the assistant principal's office, where statements were taken and parents/guardians contacted. School administration stated that an ambulance was not called but “out of an abundance of caution,” they advised an unnamed student's parent to take them to a medical facility for further evaluation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-20 |title=Update on Student Passing |url=https://www.owassops.org/apps/news/article/1887342 |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=www.owassops.org |language=en |archive-date=February 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221030108/https://www.owassops.org/apps/news/article/1887342 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Sue Benedict said she was informed that Nex was suspended for school for two weeks due to the fight.<ref name="IndependentHurley20Feb" /> On her own, Sue then took Nex to a nearby hospital for an exam <ref name="IndependentHurley20Feb" /> and summoned the Owasso Police Department at around 3:30 p.m ([[Central Time Zone|CT]]).<ref name="LABladeLevesque19Feb" /> A school resource officer came to the emergency room and discussed the situation with the Benedicts for 21 minutes. He told them that should they choose to file a criminal complaint, both sides could be charged with assault, with Benedict being treated as the primary aggressor for originally throwing the water. The officer said they should sleep on it and he would gladly pursue the case if they changed their minds the next day.<ref name="Oklahoman"/><ref name="Advocate - police video">{{cite news |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=Watch alarming video of Nex Benedict explaining to police that they were bullied |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/nex-benedict-police-video |access-date=February 24, 2024 |publisher=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |date=February 23, 2024 |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224053439/https://www.advocate.com/news/nex-benedict-police-video |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5nHh8ghaEc |access-date=February 24, 2024 |language=en |publisher=[[KJRH-TV|2 News Oklahoma]] |via=[[YouTube]] |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224085619/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5nHh8ghaEc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3" /> |
Sue Benedict said she was informed that Nex was suspended for school for two weeks due to the fight.<ref name="IndependentHurley20Feb" /> On her own, Sue then took Nex to a nearby hospital for an exam <ref name="IndependentHurley20Feb" /> and summoned the Owasso Police Department at around 3:30 p.m ([[Central Time Zone|CT]]).<ref name="LABladeLevesque19Feb" /> A school resource officer came to the emergency room and discussed the situation with the Benedicts for 21 minutes. He told them that should they choose to file a criminal complaint, both sides could be charged with assault, with Benedict being treated as the primary aggressor for originally throwing the water. The officer said they should sleep on it and he would gladly pursue the case if they changed their minds the next day.<ref name="Oklahoman"/><ref name="Advocate - police video">{{cite news |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=Watch alarming video of Nex Benedict explaining to police that they were bullied |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/nex-benedict-police-video |access-date=February 24, 2024 |publisher=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |date=February 23, 2024 |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224053439/https://www.advocate.com/news/nex-benedict-police-video |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5nHh8ghaEc |access-date=February 24, 2024 |language=en |publisher=[[KJRH-TV|2 News Oklahoma]] |via=[[YouTube]] |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224085619/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5nHh8ghaEc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3" /> |
Revision as of 04:47, 26 February 2024
Nex Benedict | |
---|---|
Born | El Paso, Texas, U.S. | January 11, 2008
Died | (aged 16) Owasso, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Nex Benedict (January 11, 2008 – February 8, 2024)[1] was a 16-year-old non-binary American student who died after a fight at their high school on February 7, 2024. Benedict, who had previously been bullied at school, told police they were beaten by three younger girls in the girls restroom at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma. Nex died the following day.[2][3][4] According to Owasso police, the initial medical examiner's report said Benedict did not die as a result of trauma.[5] As of February 25, 2024, final autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending, and the cause of their death has not yet been established.[6][7]
Background
Nex Benedict was born in 2008 in El Paso, Texas.[8] Nex's biological father reliquished all parental rights early on,[8] and is in prison for abuse.[9] Sue Benedict, Nex's grandmother and adoptive mother, raised Nex since they were two months old and formally adopted them a few years before their death.[7][6] Nex had four sisters and two brothers.[1] Nex's adoptive mother is enrolled in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.[4] Nex and their family lived in Owasso, Oklahoma,[10] a suburb of Tulsa,[11] on the Cherokee Nation reservation, and attended school at Owasso High School on the reservation.[4]
Death
According to Sue Benedict, Nex's mother, pupils at the Owasso High School had been bullying Nex due to their identity for a year prior to the incident.[8] According to Nex Benedict's 21-minute interview with a police officer, recorded on the officer's body camera at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso at 4 p.m. on February 7, Benedict told him that they had been "jumped" in the school bathroom.[12][original research?][13] Sue Benedict stated that Nex complained about the three girls that had not been "leaving them alone", including "calling them names" and "throwing things at them" in the week leading up to the incident.[14][1]
Sue Benedict said she was informed that Nex was suspended for school for two weeks due to the fight.[7] On her own, Sue then took Nex to a nearby hospital for an exam [7] and summoned the Owasso Police Department at around 3:30 p.m (CT).[2] A school resource officer came to the emergency room and discussed the situation with the Benedicts for 21 minutes. He told them that should they choose to file a criminal complaint, both sides could be charged with assault, with Benedict being treated as the primary aggressor for originally throwing the water. The officer said they should sleep on it and he would gladly pursue the case if they changed their minds the next day.[14][13][15][12]
Benedict was discharged later that day, and reportedly went to sleep with a sore head.[7]
The following day, on February 8, as they were preparing to travel with their grandmother for an appointment, Benedict collapsed in the family's living room. Sue Benedict called 911, saying that Nex’s eyes had rolled back and they were struggling to breathe.[16] Nex had stopped breathing by the time EMTs arrived.[7] Benedict was declared dead at the hospital that evening.[7]
Investigation
In a statement to The Advocate, Dan Yancy, Owasso Police Chief, said that "no report of the incident was made to the Owasso Police Department prior to the notification at the hospital."[6] Investigations by the Owasso Police Department to determine the events that led to Benedict's death are ongoing. As of February 21, 2024, police are awaiting toxicology and autopsy results from the local medical examiner's office before determining whether anyone will be charged.[7] Law enforcement conducted interviews with school staff and students with all findings sent to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office.[17]
On February 21, a police department spokesperson said that hallway video from inside the school, showing Benedict before and after the incident, has been reviewed by investigators and will be released "at some point".[18] On February 23, the Owasso police released footage from school surveillance cameras, officer worn body cameras, and audio of the 911 calls made by Sue Benedict on February 7 and 8.[19][20]
The Owasso Police Department said that initial autopsy information showed that the death was not trauma-related,[21] though this is disputed. Nick Boatman, a spokesperson for the Owasso Police Department, said in a statement to Popular Information that the medical examiner had not explicitly said that the Benedict's death was unrelated to the head injuries, and that the Owasso Police had reached out to the examiner’s office in order to head off national scrutiny.[22][23] The Benedict family is privately investigating the incident, also stating there were other facts not publicly available.[24]
Aftermath
In a letter to parents, Owasso Public Schools said it would be increasing the number of security personnel within the district, updating their safety drills and rules, and providing additional counseling services for students affected by the death.[25][26][27]
Reactions
Although Benedict's cause of death has not yet been determined to have been caused by the attack, at least one LGBTQ advocacy group, Freedom Oklahoma, has described the reported attack that preceded Benedict's death as a possible hate crime.[7][3] A hotline run by the Indianapolis-based Rainbow Youth Project was reported as receiving over 200 calls from Oklahoma in the weekend following Benedict's death, more than three times the usual amount, with many mentioning Benedict's death, and most reporting having been bullied themselves.[9]
Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, spoke out about Benedict's death, “The facts relating to Nex’s death are not yet fully clear,” Hoskin said, adding: “The more we learn about Nex’s life, the more we come to know a wonderful child whose experience and identity mattered and was worth celebrating. Above all, Nex deserved to live a full life.”[28] Vice President Kamala Harris said that "her heart goes out to Nex Benedict's family" and that she stood with LGBTQ+ youth.[29]
Vigils honoring Benedict were held in locations across the United States during February 23 and February 24, including Boston, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Huntington Beach, California.[30] At the vigil held in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, President of TahlEquality Sanj Cooper said that "It's really hard being an LGBT community member in Oklahoma nowadays because suicide ideation and suicidal thoughts happen quite a bit," but proclaimed that the LGBT community has been "impassioned, the fire in our belly has been lit up again to continue to fight." He said that Benedict's death "doesn’t oppress or keep us from our voice from being heard. If anything it makes it louder."[30] Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Oklahoma City, where a speaker asked queer adults in attendance to raise their candles to identify themselves to youth in the audience, saying, "This is your family. These are the people who have your back. These are the people who made it through their teenage years and came out on the other side. They are the ones who are living healthy, good lives. You are not alone - do you understand? You are not alone."[31]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement linking the attack on Benedict with Oklahoma Senate Bill 615, a law passed by the state legislature that required multi-occupation restrooms in public schools or public charter schools in Oklahoma to be for the exclusive use of either the male or the female sex, "as designated on individuals' original birth certificates".[32] LGBT activists and advocacy groups have linked the death to rhetoric spread by Chaya Raichik on her Libs of TikTok social media accounts, including an event prior to Benedict's attack in which a video featuring one of Benedict's teachers was shared by Raichik.[7][33][25] This came in the wake of Raichik's appointment to the Oklahoma Department of Education's Library Media Advisory Committee by Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, in January 2024.[7][33] Walters later defended Oklahoma's anti-LGBT policies in an interview with The New York Times regarding Benedict's death, saying: "There's not multiple genders. There's two. That's how God created us." He called their death "a tragedy" while accusing the radical left of exploiting Benedict for political gain.[34]
During a Legislative Update panel in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on February 23, which consisted of four Republican state senators, an audience member asked why the Oklahoma Legislature has "such an obsession with the LGBTQ citizens of Oklahoma and what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children," and linked Benedict's death to "50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community". Senator Tom Woods responded that his "heart goes out" in regards to Benedict's death, while asserting that Oklahoma is a religious, Christian, and moral state whose constituency "doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma". Michael Stopp, moderator of the forum and chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee, said that the death was "terrible" but claimed media coverage of it was "blown out of proportion".[35]
After city police claimed the death was not related to the altercation, multiple activists and groups called for an independent or federal investigation, including the Human Rights Campaign and Representative Ritchie Torres.[36]
References
- ^ a b c "Dagny Benedict - View Obituary & Service Information". Dagny Benedict Obituary. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Levesque, Brody (February 19, 2024). "Oklahoma non-binary high schooler dies after physical altercation". Los Angeles Blade. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Rest in power Nex Benedict". Freedom Oklahoma. February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Agoyo, Acee (February 21, 2024). "Nex's death weighs heavily on the hearts of the Choctaw people". Indianz.Com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "Nonbinary student 'did not die as a result of trauma,' Owasso police say". Tulsa World. February 21, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Wiggins, Christopher (February 20, 2024). "Oklahoma transgender student dies after assault at school". The Advocate. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hurley, Bevan (February 20, 2024). "Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now a bullied student is dead". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Non-binary student Nex Benedict who died after bathroom assault was a 'shining light'". The Independent. February 22, 2024. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (February 21, 2024). "Soul-searching and recriminations after teen's death in Oklahoma". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Goforth, Dylan (February 21, 2024). "The death of nonbinary teen shines a national spotlight on Oklahoma's anti-LGBTQ+ policies". The Frontier. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Video shows Oklahoma nonbinary teen after attack in school bathroom, the day before their death". AP News. February 23, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b OPD 2024-3316 Community Release, archived from the original on February 25, 2024, retrieved February 25, 2024
- ^ a b Wiggins, Christopher (February 23, 2024). "Watch alarming video of Nex Benedict explaining to police that they were bullied". The Advocate. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death". KJRH. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ "Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death". 2 News Oklahoma. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Owasso Police release body cam video, 911 call, leading up to student's death following fight in school bathroom". Fox.
- ^ Alfonseca, Kiara (February 21, 2024). "Oklahoma death of nonbinary student Nex Benedict after in-school fight prompts calls for answers". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Burke, Minyvonne; Stelloh, Tim; Yurcaba, Jo (February 21, 2024). "Authorities to release video from school where family of LGBTQ student said teen was attacked day before their death". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Asebes, John (February 23, 2024). "Owasso Police release body cam video, 911 call, leading up to student's death following fight in school bathroom". Fox24 News. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Ayer, Justin; Blake, Alexandra (February 23, 2024). "Owasso police release audio, video recordings from investigation into Nex Benedict's death". 2 News Oklahoma. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Wiggins, Christopher (February 21, 2024). "Oklahoma police say bullied nonbinary teen Nex Benedict 'did not die as a result of trauma'". The Advocate. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Hurley, Bevan (February 24, 2024). "Nex Benedict's mother blindsided by release of 911 call and body cam footage". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Legum, Judd (February 23, 2024). "Nex Benedict's mom raises doubts about police statements: It's a "big cover"". Popular Information. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Hurley, Bevan (February 23, 2024). "Nex Benedict's family will privately investigate bullied non-binary student's death after fight". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Shuttleworth, Catherine (February 20, 2024). "Thousands raised for non-binary teenager beaten to death at school". indy100. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "Owasso Public Schools addresses school safety measures". FOX23 News. February 16, 2024. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Villarreal, Daniel (February 20, 2024). "Teen beaten to death in a school bathroom bullying attack. The school didn't call an ambulance". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Stelloh, Tim; Guevara, Sarah; Burke, Minyvonne (February 21, 2024). "Oklahoma student dies one day after fight in high school bathroom". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Billson, Chantelle (February 24, 2024). "Kamala Harris 'stands with' LGBTQ youth following death of non-binary teen Nex Benedict". PinkNews. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Vigils held nationwide for nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who died following school bathroom fight". The Associated Press. February 25, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Hinton, Carla (February 25, 2024). "Nex Benedict mourned by hundreds in Oklahoma City vigil: 'We need change'". USA Today. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Response to Death of Nex Benedict From Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education Legal Team". American Civil Liberties Union. February 20, 2024. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Monteil, Abby (February 20, 2024). "Nonbinary Teen Nex Benedict Dies After Being Attacked By Peers in a School Bathroom". Them. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Billson, Chantelle (February 24, 2024). "Oklahoma education chief claims Nex Benedict's death being 'exploited' by 'radical leftists'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Guthrie, Lee (February 23, 2024). "Senator calls LGBTQ+ people 'filth,' says most don't want them here". Tahlequah Daily Press. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Suter, Tara (February 23, 2024). "Torres calls for federal investigation into Nex Benedict's death". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.