Duquesne University ‘agreeable’ to requests of mother of student who fell to his death
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A mother’s determination can go a long way.
Dannielle Brown has been searching for answers since her son, Marquis Jaylen Brown, fell to his death from the 16th floor of Duquesne University’s Brottier Hall on Oct. 4, 2018.
She began a hunger strike on Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh’s Hill District early this month. Several days later, Duquesne officials agreed to give Brown and her attorney, S. Lee Merritt, access to their police file and made available people who conducted the school’s independent investigation.
That wasn’t enough for Brown, so the hunger strike continued.
On Tuesday, Duquesne released an open letter it sent to Brown and her family, saying it was “agreeable to all three of the requests you have made.”
The university pledged to cooperate with a new investigation into the death of Marquis Jaylen Brown, known as “JB.” The university said it contacted Merritt to say it was willing to provide him with access to its Public Safety files and other evidence, including officer reports, video recordings from cameras in Brottier Hall and dispatch and radio recordings in its possession.
Duquesne also said it would grant Brown’s requests to obtain body cameras for its public safety officers and provide training in dealing with crisis and mental health situations.
“In agreeing to your requests, we are profoundly aware that nothing we do can bring JB back to you, or ease the grief that you, your family and all of us have experienced with JB’s passing,” the letter said.
“Simply put, we want you to be able to end your hunger strike, and to know that we care for you and for JB’s memory.”
During a Tuesday interview near the tent she’s been living in since July 4, Brown said she was encouraged by Duquesne’s response.
“This is a step in the right direction,” Brown said. “There are some things Duquesne was not fully transparent about in their statement, but I’m willing to work with them because I think it’s important. I gotta get this right. This is my life and if I’m going to end my hunger strike, it’s important that all parties are fully on board. I want to make certain that we are making progress.”
Marquis Jaylen Brown was a running back on the Duquesne football team. He died the same day he turned 21.
The circumstances of his death still don’t make sense to his grieving mother who has been camped out at Freedom Corner for 18 days, spending much of her time in a white, wooden rocking chair. She has not eaten in at least two weeks but has been drinking fluids.
Duquesne officials have said Marquis Jaylen Brown spent the hours leading up to his death playing video games in a friend’s off-campus apartment. He is reported to have smoked marijuana with his friend, which an autopsy later confirmed.
The university said in a statement last week Brown returned to his dorm about 10 p.m. and his roommate reported that he was behaving erratically, knocking over furniture in his room and slamming against the walls.
Others on the 16th floor called campus police. Two responding officers tried to deescalate the situation and get Brown to calm down and sit, according to last week’s statement. Brown then surprised the officers by suddenly grabbing a chair, breaking a window and jumping out before anyone could stop him.
Pittsburgh police investigated and closed the case in February 2019. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Brown’s cause of death as trauma from the fall and the manner of death as undetermined.
The results of the investigation have left lingering questions for Dannielle Brown. The doubts prompted her to leave her Washington, D.C., home to take up temporary residence at the corner of Centre Avenue and Crawford Street within view of the dorm where her son died. She admitted Tuesday that the lack of food is taking a toll on her and described how she is feeling.
“Sluggish. I have hunger pains, migraines, fatigue and my energy is sometimes depleted,” she said. “I get lightheaded if I move too fast. Day by day I assess myself.”