ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it is opening up an investigation into the hanging death of a black man at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park, the metro area’s most popular and visited park.
“There were no discernible signs of a struggle or foul play,” the Atlanta Police Department told Atlanta Black Star via Twitter. “A Fulton County medical examiner concurred that the death was consistent with a suicide.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation will probe into the shocking death, the city of Atlanta reported. However, the medical examiner’s quick assessment of the death as a suicide incited a backlash from some quarters of the city’s denizens.
Atlanta’s mayor Kasim Reed to release a statement reassuring the public that there will be a “thorough investigation” into the matter.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of a young man’s life last night in Piedmont Park. This disturbing event demands our full attention. The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is conducting a robust investigation into his death and I have asked to receive regular briefings on the status of the investigation. We have also referred the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Everything we have seen suggests that there was no foul play involved, but I want to state clearly and unequivocally that we will not prejudge the circumstances surrounding this young man’s death. APD will share all evidence discovered in the course of the investigation. We ask for the public’s support and cooperation as we work to resolve this matter.”
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