A few hundred rallied in front of the Georgia Capitol today in support of the family of a Valdosta teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at his school. Sheriff’s investigators ruled 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson’s death accidental. But his parents claim he was murdered.
Those speaking at rally demanded Governor Nathan Deal call for a coroner’s inquest into Johnson’s death. They say the inquest is necessary in order to get a full and fair investigation. Janice Mathis is vice president of the Rainbow Push Coalition.
“I urge governor Deal to put yourself in the place of KJ’s parents. If you sent your child to school and he came home in a body bag, what would you expect of government?
And if an inquest isn’t granted, Lithonia Democratic state Representative Dee Dawkins Haigler says she’s willing to take more drastic measures. Haigler is head of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.
“If we have to shut the Capitol down on certain days just like they do in North Carolina…then that’s what we’ll have to do.”
Others like State Senator Vincent Fort say Deal should call a special prosecutor to investigate the death.
“We’re going to send a message to governor Deal, on this day, if you can appoint a special prosecutor to investigate school test cheating, you can appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the death of Kendrick Johnson.”
And Fort says what happens in this case will answer what he calls a serious question: “How much do we really in our heart of hearts value black life?”
When Johnson’s body was found in January, investigators ruled his death accidental. They concluded Johnson fell into the gym mat, became trapped and couldn’t breathe.
But during a second autopsy, a private pathologist discovered Johnson’s organs were missing and newspaper was used to replace them. The teen’s father, Kenneth Johnson, spoke about the missing organs during the rally. He said Kendrick Johnson’s brain, heart and tongue were among the missing organs.
“So I want the justice system to tell me, how is that all that is going on with his body and someone is not charged with something?”
In a statement, the governor’s office says, “Gov. Deal is aware that federal authorities, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI, are looking into the case and we’ll await their report to determine if further action is needed. Certainly, if another investigation is called for, the governor would be open to that.”
In October, a federal prosecutor announced he’s conducting a formal review of evidence in the case.
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