Reporter Raises Alarm About Father’s ‘Brutal Hazing’ That Left Him Blind After Another Southern University Student Dies During Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Ritual
An investigation is underway into the mysterious death of mechanical engineering student Caleb Wilson, a junior at Southern University, who reportedly collapsed while participating in a ritual with his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, at an off-campus park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
New Orleans station WVUE reported that Wilson fell during an exercise where students were forced to stand in line. It cited an unnamed source it described as “familiar with the case.”
What caused Wilson to collapse is still unknown. Results from Wilson’s autopsy are pending.
He was unresponsive when a group of friends took him to Baton Rouge General Hospital early Thursday morning. Doctors pronounced Wilson dead and called the Baton Rouge Police at 3:15 a.m., prompting a death investigation.
In a statement, Southern University and A&M College said it was aware of “an off-campus incident that may have resulted in the death of student Caleb Wilson, a junior from New Orleans majoring in mechanical engineering. The campus community extends condolences to his family, classmates and loved ones.”
“Southern is cooperating fully with the Baton Rouge Police Department, which is in charge of the investigation,” the statement continues. “No further information is available at this time.”
Wilson was a member of Human Jukebox, the school’s marching band. He made his debut on trumpet in November 2023 at the 50th anniversary of the Bayou Classic.
Wilson’s father, Corey Wilson, is a part-time deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. He retired last year as a sergeant after working full-time for 35 years.
One reporter covering Wilson’s death placed the onus on Southern University, which she said dodged accountability when her father nearly lost his life in a hazing incident at the Louisiana HBCU.
“While he’s alive, the brutal hazing left him paralyzed and blind. He is no longer paralyzed, but he’s still blind & has fought tirelessly for decades to regain his sight,” wrote Law & Crime reporter Kennedi Walker in a post on X. “My family is sickened that, decades later, Southern University has allowed this to happen again. I pray that, unlike my family, the victim’s family gets the justice they deserve. Southern was never held accountable, nor were those responsible for what happened to my dad. It’s beyond disgusting.”
Long identified as a problem, hazing remains a popular ritual on college campuses. The consequences are sometimes deadly, with at least 50 deaths blamed on hazing since 2020, and the numbers are increasing at an alarming rate.
Commenters online expressed frustration that the practice continues.
“Hazing is supposed to be illegal! Outlaw fraternities and sororities,” wrote one reader on Facebook.
One commenter on X said Wilson’s life could’ve been saved had someone stepped up.
“No one stopped it,” he wrote. “No one stepped in. Caleb Wilson, 20, collapsed in the middle of a fraternity ritual, and instead of dialing 911, they drove him to a hospital, unresponsive. His father, a high-ranking officer, now faces the nightmare of burying his son. This should never have happened.”
One independent researcher said the number of hazing deaths since 2000 is actually 105, according to the Best Colleges report. And the numbers keep getting worse, with 40 occurring between 2007 and 2017. Nearly 80 percent of the deaths are tied to excessive alcohol consumption and fraternities.
