Video and story at Orlando Sentinel
Felicia Fabre, whose son is a sophomore in the band, said she received a text message Saturday night saying a drum major had been killed after a hazing incident.
Her first thought was, “Oh, my God, I told them that this was going to happen,” Fabre said. She shared with the Sentinel a series of emails, beginning in August, that outlined some of the abusive behavior her son had witnessed and been subjected to by “section leaders” in the band.
“These practice[s] MUST STOP and they will not until someone stands up and some changes are made,” Fabre wrote in an email to band director Julian White and Ralph Turner, listed on the website as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “I feel because of love, calling and duty I must not only speak up for my son, but also for the students who are being belittled and mistreated and feel they do not have a voice.”
Demings’ news conference came just hours after FAMU officials announced all band performances would be suspended while the university investigates the circumstances of Champion’s death amid allegations of hazing within the school’s famed marching band.
“Any death that occurs as a result of hazing is a third-degree felony,” Demings said.
FAMU President Dr. James Ammons said the university is organizing an independent task force to “determine if there are patterns of inappropriate behavior within the culture” of the 375-member band.
