APD Announces Independent Review Of Jayvon Givan Case
APD Announces Independent Review Of Jayvon Givan Case After Hanging Was Initially Ruled A Suicide
On Tuesday, we reported the mysterious story of 29-year-old Jayvon Givan, who, in September of last year, was found hanging from a pillar and a metal chain in a commercial building near Albuquerque.
The Albuquerque Police Department and the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) determined his death was a suicide, but his family — who say they did not find out Givan was dead until more than a year later — are not buying it, and neither are many in the local community. In fact, on Tuesday, 100 protesters showed up on the steps of APD headquarters to tell the authorities as much. And, wouldn’t you know it, not 24 hours later, APD Police Chief Harold Medina announced that the department will seek an independent review of the case and the work of his investigators.
“Chief Medina says while the death appears to be a suicide, the fact that it involved a hanging is enough reason for further scrutiny,” KOB4 reported.
KOB spoke with Givan’s twin sister, Jaivryon Walker, who said she welcomes the independent investigation, which her family has been publicly calling for since early this month.
“I don’t feel like he went there to harm himself. You know—like—I just don’t feel that,” Walker said of her brother.
Here’s the thing: we can almost certainly expect that the APD will be announcing that the independent investigation didn’t find any results that contradict investigators’ initial conclusion that Givan died by suicide. We can expect this for at least three reasons. First, this just feels like police theater meant to appease protesters, community members and family members who simply don’t trust the APD. Secondly, why should they trust APD? The department, so far, hasn’t offered an explanation as to why the family is saying it hadn’t been notified about Givan’s death for more than a year. Is it true they weren’t notified, and, if so, why not?
Third, this case is more than a year old, so what exactly are independent investigators going to find out now that the authorities missed last year?
From the Kansas City Defender:
KOB4’s own reporting reveals the problem. When their team went to the scene where Jayvon was found—a busy shopping corridor where Alameda and Coors intersect—they discovered that surrounding businesses only retain surveillance video for 45 days. Jayvon died over a year ago. That evidence is gone.
“That’s a sign of what an independent investigation might run into,” KOB4 reporter Ryan Laughlin noted. “Because this is a year old, an independent review may be reliant on how police initially looked into this.”
Read that again: The independent investigation will likely have to rely on the initial police investigation—the same investigation that somehow concluded a Black man found hanging required no follow-up, no family notification, and immediate cremation of the body.
KOB 4 reported Monday that, when Givan’s body was discovered, he was wearing a hospital bracelet. The outlet also reported that, according to the police report, his last known address was at an emergency housing shelter in Santa Fe. Givan also reportedly had an active warrant tied to a Cricket Wireless theft investigation, accusing him of stealing cell phones. Finally, investigators reportedly found Givan’s journal at the scene. So, apparently, the authorities had, indeed, identified Givan at the time his body was discovered. So, why didn’t his family know he was dead, and why was his body cremated without them knowing?
So, the question now is this: Unless this independent investigation reveals something new, why would anyone have any reason to trust it?
Apparently, we’re just going to have to wait and see what APD announces next and act accordingly.
SEE ALSO:
Black Man Found Hanging: What Happened To Jayvon Givan?
Black Student Found Hanging At Mississippi’s Delta State University
Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree In New York, Police Call It Suicide
Lawyers Compare Javion Magee Hanging To Emmett Till
Dennoriss Richardson’s Wife Says ‘He Didn’t Kill Himself’
