By the
CNN Wire Staff
Updated 6:19 PM EST, Fri December 16, 2011
Some band members have said Robert Champion may have died after a rite of passage involving a beating aboard a bus.
(CNN) -- The death of Robert Champion Jr., the 26-year-old Florida A&M University student and drum major who died last month after a suspected hazing incident, has been ruled a homicide, according to a medical examiner.
The Friday afternoon announcement came just as Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrapped up a meeting with James Ammons, the university's president, whose suspension he recommended amid an investigation into various issues at the university -- including Champion's death.
Orange County officials said in a statement that Champion died November 19 because of "hemorrhagic shock, due to soft tissue hemorrhage, due to blunt force trauma sustained during a hazing incident." He died in Orlando, where the band had been playing.
No one has been charged in Champion's death. The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a statement Friday indicating that its detectives "have followed all appropriate protocols as if investigating a homicide" and suggesting that more action will be forthcoming.
"In the coming days and weeks, investigators will be working with the State Attorney's office to identify the charges that are applicable," the sheriff's office said, noting that "the vast majority" of witnesses to the incident have been interviewed.
Associate Medical Examiner Sara Irrgang performed the autopsy on Champion, overseen by Chief Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia. According to the release, they noted that Champion was "previously healthy (when he) collapsed and died within an hour of a hazing incident during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body."
He complained that he was thirsty and tired immediately after the incident and, minutes later, lost his eyesight. "These symptoms are consistent with hypotension or shock," the statement noted.
Some band members have said Champion may have died after a rite of passage called "crossing Bus C." One member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that students "walk from the front of the bus to the back of the bus back backward while the bus is full of other band members, and you get beaten until you get to the back."
The autopsy found that Champion had "extensive contusions of his chest, arms, shoulder and back." There was no evidence of "natural disease except for a slightly enlarged heart."
The young man's father, Robert Champion Sr., said, "We are pleased to find out what caused our son's death." "Now, we need to move forward, so this doesn't have to happen to any other kid," the father said in a statement.
Controversy has swirled around FAMU since Champion's death, including three arrests tied to the alleged hazing of a freshman band member a few weeks earlier. And Jerry Bailey, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said Wednesday that investigators looking into Champion's death have turned up evidence "that there were financial irregularities having to do with the band and several other components of the university." This suspected fraud is not directly related to Champion's death.
These issues prompted Scott on Thursday to recommend to the chairman of Florida A&M's trustees that they suspend Ammons until state investigations of the university and its leadership are complete.
The pair agreed Thursday night to meet, said Brian Burgess, a spokesman for the governor. They did so late Friday afternoon at the state capitol in Tallahassee, conversing for about twice as long as the 20 minutes originally scheduled.
"The purpose was for the governor to listen and hear (Ammons') thoughts," said Lane Wright, another spokesman in Scott's office. "The governor has not changed his position on the call for Ammons' suspension. We want to make sure that these investigations are thorough, independent and impartial."
School trustees have placed band director Julian White on administrative leave, in addition to reprimanding Ammons. Solomon L. Badger III, the board's chairman, said Thursday that a decision on how the university goes "forward" -- including the president's fate -- will come at a meeting Monday.
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