An altercation at an Oklahoma public faculty involving a 16-year-old nonbinary scholar who died the subsequent day started after the coed “poured water” on women who had been making enjoyable of {the teenager}, in keeping with a physique digicam video interview launched by the Owasso Police Division late Friday.
The video of the 16-year-old scholar, Nex Benedict, speaking to an Owasso officer offered the fullest account but of what befell inside the ladies’ lavatory on Feb. 7. The altercation drew nationwide scrutiny after homosexual and transgender rights teams centered consideration on Nex’s demise for example of the hazards confronted by gender-nonconforming college students.
The interview, which lasted about 20 minutes and befell at a neighborhood hospital, offered new particulars of the confrontation on the West Campus of Owasso Excessive Faculty. Nex, who used they and them pronouns with friends, described how they “blacked out” whereas being crushed on the ground of the lavatory by three women who had beforehand mocked Nex and their mates “due to the way in which that we costume.”
“We have been laughing. They usually had mentioned one thing like, ‘Why do they giggle like that?’ They have been speaking about us in entrance of us. And so I went up there and I poured water on them” from a plastic water bottle, Nex advised the officer. “After which all three of them got here at me,” Nex mentioned.
The division additionally launched surveillance video from inside the college displaying college students, together with Nex, getting into the lavatory and, individually, Nex strolling by means of the halls with a employees member after the confrontation.
And the division offered audio of the 911 calls made by Sue Benedict, Nex’s grandmother and guardian, on the day of the altercation after which on Feb. 8 as she urgently sought an ambulance for Nex.
Ms. Benedict advised the dispatcher round 1 p.m. that Nex saved saying they’d a headache and Ms. Benedict was uncertain if it was from Nex’s head damage. Nex hit their head on the lavatory flooring, Ms. Benedict mentioned, describing the altercation yesterday.
Ms. Benedict advised the dispatcher that Nex took medicine at night time for nervousness and “temper swings” however that Nex had not taken any that day. Requested whether or not Nex took illicit medicine, Ms. Benedict mentioned no, although Nex “has vaped.”
The movies, whereas offering extra data, didn’t reply the query of how Nex died. The police division has mentioned that the demise continues to be beneath investigation however that preliminary outcomes of an post-mortem discovered Nex “didn’t die because of trauma.” The state medical expert’s workplace mentioned its report on the post-mortem and toxicology outcomes could be made public when it was prepared.
The demise of a nonbinary scholar following an altercation at college prompted renewed scrutiny of Oklahoma’s restrictive insurance policies for L.G.B.T.Q. college students — together with new legal guidelines relating to lavatory utilization and barring gender-transition take care of minors. The state superintendent of faculties, Ryan Walters, who has been criticized for his anti-transgender rhetoric, mentioned the demise was a tragedy however didn’t alter his views, together with on lavatory utilization or discussions of gender.
Rights teams and transgender college students have mentioned the political rhetoric by Oklahoma leaders within the Republican-dominated state has been considered by some college students as permission to harass and bully their classmates.
Of their interview with the officer, Nex spoke from a mattress at Bailey Medical Heart in Owasso, with Ms. Benedict sitting close by.
Ms. Benedict advised the officer that the ladies wouldn’t go away Nex alone. “They’re making feedback, they’re throwing stuff, they’re calling us names,” Ms. Benedict mentioned, recounting what Nex had advised her.
The officer then requested Nex to explain what occurred. Nex mentioned that whereas they’d advised their household concerning the earlier bullying, they’d not reported it to high school officers. “I didn’t actually see the purpose in it,” Nex mentioned.
Nex mentioned that different college students had centered on Nex and their mates due to their approach of dressing. The subject of Nex’s gender id or that of their mates didn’t come up within the interview. Ms. Benedict referred to Nex utilizing their start identify and pronouns in the course of the police interview and in calls with 911.
Simply earlier than the altercation, Nex had been speaking with mates inside the lavatory, whereas the ladies have been speaking with their very own mates close by, Nex mentioned.
In the course of the altercation, “they grabbed onto my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one in all them right into a paper towel dispenser, then they received my legs out from beneath me and received me on the bottom,” Nex mentioned. “My mates tried to leap in and assist, however I’m unsure, I blacked out.”
The officer urged to Nex and Ms. Benedict that prison prices may not be smart to pursue as a result of Nex was “the one who began it by throwing an object or an merchandise onto one other particular person.”
That reality “doesn’t give them the suitable to place their fingers on you,” the officer mentioned. “It’s simply, I hate to see you each, criminally smart, get hung up on one thing so minuscule. However I’m right here to do this if that’s what you want.” Ms. Benedict and Nex finally agreed to not pursue prices at the moment.
