In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, people are demanding that other cases involving Black men, women and children be reopened and investigated. Back in 2013, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a rolled-up mat in his high school gym.
His mysterious death was ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family believed their son’s death was a homicide. Some students from Johnson’s school were named as suspects for his murder. Their father worked for the FBI and the family believed he was able to tamper with evidence to protect his sons. The family was investigated, but no charges were ever filed against them.
According to CNN, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) determined that Johnson’s death was the result of “positional asphyxia.” They claimed he fell into the mat while looking for his shoes and died after he couldn’t get out. Students reportedly told officials that it was common for them to store their shoes in or behind the mats.
Johnson’s family was able to get an independent autopsy done. According to their autopsy, Johnson died of “unexplained, apparent non-accidental, blunt force trauma,” which contradicted the results of the GBI.
Video footage was missing from the school and the family believed that it was tampered with to cover up evidence. A forensic analyst recruited by CNN found that tapes from two cameras were missing hours of footage.
Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and civil rights attorney Ben Crump have shared the petition asking people to sign to have Johnson’s case reopened. The petition has already garnered over one million signatures so far.
“What happened to #KendrickJohnson in [2013] is HORRIFIC, yet his killer was never held accountable,” Crump tweeted. “Please sign this petition & spread the word that federal authorities need to reopen this case, so Kendrick & his family can get the justice they deserve!!”
“Please sign this!” Kardashian tweeted. “We demand justice for Kendrick!!!! Sign the Petition to Reopen Kendrick Johnson’s Case #J4Kendrick.” Check out their tweets below if you would like to sign the petition. We will keep you updated with the latest.