Death of Javion Magee Sparks Anger From Social Media

Source: Facebook / facebook

The circumstances around the death of Illinois truck driver Javion Magee bearing similarities to a lynching have sparked outrage and concern on social media. A young Black truck driver from Chicago, Illinois by the name of Javion Magee was found dead in a rural area of North Carolina last Wednesday (September 11). Since then, social media users have been outraged at the way that Magee was found with a rope around his neck leaning up against a tree near his truck, suggesting that he was lynched.

“It’s a lot of holes in this case, it’s a lot of questions and not enough answers in this case,” said family spokesperson Candice Matthews in an interview with ABC7Chicago. “There’s no transparency that’s going on in this case. This family wants transparency, this family wants accountability, this family wants justice.” In a post on X, formerly Twitter, a user named Pier Jaree who states that she is Magee’s cousin accused the authorities in Henderson of preventing the family from identifying the body.

My cousin Javion Magee was found hanging from a tree in Henderson, NC. They will not let his mom identify the body due to “covid restrictions” which screams foul play. Please circulate!! @AttorneyCrump @aclu_nc @ABC11_WTVD @ABC7Chicago @nbcchicago
— Pier Jarae (@UrbanBlackGirl) September 12, 2024

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame spoke to the media on Friday (September 13) about the incident, confirming the condition that Magee was found in. “I understand there’s over 1,000 hits on TikTok (accusing) the sheriff’s office of not being transparent, not providing information to the family and that is not true,” Brame said. “There’s been information put out there that there’s a lynching in Vance County. There is not a lynching in Vance County. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was not a knot in the rope, so therefore, it was not a lynching here in Vance County.” Brame also confirmed that Magee’s body was sent to the medical examiner for a preliminary autopsy, where their results indicated that the body showed no signs of defensive struggle. He also said that he wouldn’t rule it a suicide despite saying there weren’t signs of foul play. Brame also confirmed that the FBI has joined the investigation. The information hasn’t convinced many on social media, who are joining Magee’s family members in calling for more law enforcement involvement and noting similarities in the police response to what occurred in the death of Sandra Bland. Take a look at the responses to Magee’s death below.