Leaders in Prince George’s County, Maryland, had been saying the evidence pointed to this conclusion hours after it happened, however, police said Monday the state medical examiner determined a man found hanging from a tree Sunday morning in Upper Marlboro had committed suicide.
Still, the symbolism behind the death meant emotions were raw and heightened as county leaders held a press conference — something nearly unheard of when it involves a suicide — to promise honesty and transparency as the investigation continues.
And police say the case is not closed yet.
The body, a Black man whose identity has not been made publicly available, was found hanging from a tree in front of an industrial business in the 9300 block of D’Arcy Road on Sunday morning.
While police and fire responded fast, they couldn’t touch the body until a medical examiner could arrive and conduct their investigation.
The body was hanging high enough that it was hard to block it from view, which means a lot of people driving by saw what happened, and even more people saw the picture travel through social media. With it, came theories about a public lynching.
“Don’t ask for clickbait and use this tragedy to get followers or to get likes, because this is a tragedy,” said Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy. “A person is dead. He’s dead, and he took his own life.”
She added that county leaders and investigators “will tell the truth” and she won’t be entertaining “theory, innuendoes and folks who just want to spew, quite frankly, untruths.”
One of the words that was repeated throughout the community was “triggering.”
“I think this is a moment in time, in a place and space, that we really need to exhibit some compassion and empathy,” said Prince George’s County Council member Sydney Harrison. “Pause for a few moments to really listen to one another, to understand what each other is feeling at this present moment.”
Dozens of people then followed Braveboy and other county leaders from a nearby school, where the press conference happened, to the site where the body was found. Following what they called a community walk, they gathered in prayer for a few minutes. There was a few hugs and even more tears shed.
“Our investigation doesn’t stop,” said Maj. Paul Gambardella, commander of the Prince George’s County police’s homicide unit, which was on the scene Sunday. “Whether it’s looking through our decedent’s cellphone, whether it’s following up with any camera footage that we may or may not have, whether it’s talking to anybody else in the neighborhood that we haven’t talked to, this continues even after the ruling.”
He reiterated there was nothing on the scene that suggested there was foul play.
“If anything, it’s sad,” Gambardella said.
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