Black man found hanging from a tree in Orlando park

A Black man’s suicide has been ruled as death by suicide by the Orlando Police Department and Medical Examiner’s Office, but however, his family is not convinced.  ruled a Black man’s hanging death a suicide, but his family is unconvinced. Sharhonda James stated that foul play was an issue in the passing of her 22-year-old son Nevan Baker.

“I’m not done with this situation; it’s just beginning,” James told the outlet. “Nobody’s going to stand for this in this community.”

Last Sunday, Baker was found hanging from a tree in Barker Park. According to first responders, they performed measures to save his life upon arriving at the scene, but they couldn’t save him. On Friday, Autumn Jones- the spokesperson of the police department- announced their “investigation has concluded with the determination of a suicide.”

However, both the family and the community have raised concerns about the circumstances of the death of Baker and it was widely scrutinized. According to James stated that there were several injuries on her son’s body, such as nose swelling as well as bumps on his forehead and what appeared to be a misaligned jaw.

Another woman, who claimed to be cousin of Baker stated that he was “beaten beyond recognition.” It is reported that James requested for photos from the police department from the scene of her son’s death, but did not receive them.

“We’re not going to let this go; the community is not going to let this go,” she said.

Orlando Police Department spokesperson Jones has claimed there were “absolutely no [other] injuries to [Baker’s] body.”

“Officers have exhausted all leads and, at this time, there is no evidence of foul play or any kind of physical struggle,” the department wrote in a statement. “This is a tragic case of suicide… We are keeping the victim, his family and friends in our thoughts during this difficult time.”

Several activists have called for an extensive probe and began to float the #JusticeForNevan hashtag on social media. Don Lawrie — a local organizer- spoke about the findings of the department following several other cases of Black men dying by hanging.

 “This is something that’s happening all across the United States; this isn’t just a rare incident in Orlando,” Lawrie told the outlet. “All these Black people are being found hung in a park… It’s very, very suspicious that this is happening.”

Since then, a GoFundMe campaign was set up by Baker’s sister, Jamia Douglas, to raise donations for his funeral costs. On the page, she wrote that he was “a good kid with aspirations of becoming an electrician” and that his tragic death has left her family with “many unanswered questions.”

“My son didn’t hang himself,” Baker’s mother told the Sentinel. “I know my child.”