Police Releases Three Videos, Including One of a Nex Benedict Hospital Interview
An incorrect assumption has spread that Nex Benedict, the non-binary 16-year-old student at Owasso High School of Choctaw descent, did not die from injuries received during a bathroom fight on February 7. Many were quick to claim the teen died from another cause, seeking to absolve other students from blame and deny it was a hate crime or bullying.
The Owasso police, in a statement last week to NBC News, revealed that preliminary findings from the medical examiner’s office suggested Benedict’s death was not a result of trauma. However, the police emphasized that comments on the exact cause of death would be withheld until toxicology results were available.
Lt. Nick Boatman clarified that this wasn’t the intended meaning. The term “trauma” was employed by the medical examiner’s office, and Boatman emphasized that no assumptions should be made regarding the fight’s role in Benedict’s demise.
Boatman explained that the police department rarely discloses such information early on but chose to be transparent due to public pressure stemming from extensive international media coverage. The police department released video and audio recordings this week of the incident, showcasing Benedict being escorted to the nurse’s office.
You can watch the video of Nex Benedict and their mother being interviewed by a police officer in the hospital here.
In a belated attempt at transparency, the Owasso Police Department released three recordings. The department provided these materials to Benedict’s family through their lawyer before making them public. Boatman mentioned that toxicology results may take months to obtain, and as of now, no charges have been filed, and no arrests have been made.
