Oklahoma police are looking into the death of a nonbinary teen who passed out in the bathroom of their high school the day after getting into a fight with other students. Nex Benedict’s family said the 16-year-old was constantly targeted because of their gender identity. They want the authorities to find out why this happened, hold those responsible accountable, and make sure it never happens again.
People all over the country are talking about Nex’s death at a time when Oklahoma lawmakers are continuing to attack LGBTQ+ rights and pass some of the strictest anti-trans laws in the country. Below is all the information we have on what happened to Nex Benedict!!
Who Was Nex Benedict?
Nex was in his second year at Owasso High School, which is in a neighborhood northeast of Tulsa. The teen lived with their real grandma, Sue Benedict, and her husband, Walter. Sue and Walter raised Nex since they were babies and adopted them legally a few years ago.
The family said Nex said they were nonbinary and used they/them names. Everyone in Nex’s family said he was a “great kid” and an A+ student who loved reading, cooking, playing computer games like Minecraft, and spending time with their cat, Zeus. Benedict told the Independent that Nex was gentle with their adoptive parents when they used the wrong word or called them by their birth name by accident.
Some news stories said Nex was a Cherokee Nation citizen, but in a statement, principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said their records showed Nex lived on the land but was not a member of the tribe.
What Happened To Nex Benedict?
Benedict told The Independent that Nex was released from the hospital the day of the fight and went to bed that night with a sore head. Nex passed out in the family living room the next afternoon. Benedict called for help, but Nex had already stopped breathing by the time the ambulance got there. They were taken to the St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room right away, but the doctors there said they were dead. On February 15, they were laid to rest.
So far, there is no word on what caused the death. In a statement on February 21, police said that Nex’s death was not caused by stress. According to a statement from the department, they won’t say anything else about the cause of death until they get the results of lab tests and other tests that were not directly related to the death.
Here is the video of Nex Benedict, moments after allegedly beaten to death in an anti-LGB/TQ+ hate crime:
Surveillance footage from Owasso High School moments after Nex Benedict was allegedly beaten to death in an anti-LGB/TQ+ hate crime shows her walking on her own from the nurse’s office to the principal’s office and then leaving the school with a guardian.
I’m not a doctor or a… pic.twitter.com/qBQvNOxN0H
— Storm (@stormrobinson) February 24, 2024
What Took Place In The School Fight?
Nex Benedict got into what the police called a “physical altercation” in an Owasso High School bathroom on February 7. Police and the school both said that this was stopped by other kids who were there and a member of staff. The school said that the kids were only there for about two minutes.
After the fight, Benedict was seen on a security video walking around the building. Officials said the school decided there was no need for an ambulance, but the nurse suggested that Benedict get more medical checks “just in case.”
Sue, Benedict’s mother, called the cops to the hospital that same day and was angry that the school hadn’t told them about what happened.
Nex Benedict is seen awake and alert on a bodycam video from the argument at the hospital. He is lying on a bed with his arms folded and telling what happened.
The girl said that three girls picked on her and her friends “because of how we dress.” It is said that the jokes continued in the bathroom, where the attackers asked, “Why do they laugh like that?” According to the story given to cops, Benedict reacted by throwing water at the girls.
According to the teen, “all three of them came at me” afterward. There was a fight, and Benedict said they were hit on the ground before they “blacked out.” The school board said it was “devastating” that a student had died and wanted to make sure all of its kids were safe and valued.
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