OWASSO, Okla. — Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old sophomore in Owasso, died a day after a "physical altercation" in a school bathroom, sparking anger and conversation across the U.S. and online.
Nex, who identified as nonbinary, died on Feb. 8, a day after being rushed back to the hospital following treatment when the incident happened, according to the Owasso Police Department.
Police were first notified of Nex's injuries and arrived at the hospital on Feb. 7 after receiving a report of a student who "had been involved in a physical altercation at the Owasso High School."
At this time, the Owasso School District and police are referring to what happened before Nex's death as a "physical altercation." The school did confirm the altercation happened in a bathroom, however, due to the investigation still being ongoing, officials aren't releasing more information beyond using the term "physical altercation."
It's unclear how many students were a part of the altercation or whether it was a targeted attack against Nex or not. Nex hasn't been described as a victim in the incident, only as a student "involved."
Nex's mother, Sue Benedict, responded to the influx of conversation online surrounding her child's death— specifically, allegations that Nex was targeted due to their gender identity.
"We at this time are thankful for the ongoing support and did not expect the love from everyone. We are sorry for not using their name correctly and as parents, we were still learning the correct forms. Please do not judge us as Nex was judged, please do not bully us for our ignorance on the subject. Nex gave us that respect and we are sorry in our grief that we overlooked them. I lost my child, the headstone will have [the] correct name of their choice. The rest of monies will go to other children dealing with the right to be who they feel they are, in Nex Benedict’s name. God bless," Sue said in an update on Nex's GoFundMe asking for support in the wake of Nex's death.
In following AP guidelines for referencing people who identify as nonbinary, we have and will continue to use Nex's preferred name and the pronouns they/them.
On Feb. 20, the school district posted a statement on its website titled "Update on Student Passing."
The statement claims to address "misinformation" in how the school handled the events following the altercation, including a widely circulated claim that hasn't been confirmed in any official capacity that the school didn't call the ambulance, despite Nex allegedly not being able to walk on their own. The claims also say a family member had to pick Nex up and bring them to the hospital.
The district responds to the accusation by describing its protocols following a situation in which students are hurt, and that in the case of the physical altercation before Nex's death, these protocols were followed.
According to the district, "each of the students involved walked under their own power to the assistant principal’s office and nurse’s office."
The students were then given a health assessment by a district registered nurse, and it was decided an ambulance wasn't needed, but "out of an abundance of caution, it was recommended to one parent that their student visit a medical facility for further examination," the district said in its statement on Feb. 20.
Owasso Public Schools went on to say, "Per district protocols, the parents/guardians of students involved in a physical altercation are notified and informed of the option to file a police report should they choose. Should they choose to file a police report, school resource officers are made available to the parents/guardians either at that time or they can schedule an appointment, if they choose, at a later date. These practices were followed during this incident."
It is worth noting that neither the school's nor the police department's statements mention Nex by name— preferred or otherwise.
The Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy group, said Nex loved nature, the show The Walking Dead, drawing, reading, and their cat named Zeus.
"All students, including trans and gender-expansive students like Nex, have the right to feel safe and protected while attending school. That Nex was only 16 years old compounds this tragic injustice and they should have lived to see a fulfilling and authentic life. We continue to see a horrifying amount of violence against our community, and our community’s youth seem to be bearing the brunt of it all. ” Tori Cooper with the Human Rights Campaign said.
Organizations Cocoon Collective and the Equality Crew mourned Benedict's death while also thinking about how it could've happened anywhere.
Lamar Medley with Cocoon Collective said he thought of the queer and trans kids he's worked with. He explained that "queer and trans kids are some of the most resilient kids you will ever find. And they shouldn't have to be. You shouldn't have to have that kind of resilience at a young age. But they're learning how to deal with issues like this."
Founder and Executive Director of Cocoon Collective Sadie Ragan said she was putting her kids to bed when she found out the news and reflected on how Benedict wouldn't wake up again.
"It is heartbreaking that this child succumbs to hatred and fear of the other, but the antidote to that is hope and education. And so we are here fighting even harder than we were yesterday, which was already pretty dang hard," Ragan said.
Michael Bennett-Spear said the LGBTQ+ community has pressures like anti-LGBTQ legislation and bullying across the board.
"When you look at the actions of kids, follow it to the adults behind them," Bennett-Spear said. "realize that it's not just social media hype. It's not just political ideology, it's lives. It's very real children that exist."
Cocoon Collective and the Equality crew remind local teens that there's support for them.
"Remember that there are always individuals, in your schools, in the community, in your I hope in your personal life, that do support you that want to offer protection that want to offer resources, and reach out to those people," Bennett-Spears said.
"We never want to see this headline ever again. So what I hope comes from this is that it is the first the last and the only," Ragan said.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond posted on X on Feb. 20. "As a parent and grandparent, my heart breaks for the tragic death of the Owasso student. Because investigators are still working to determine what precipitated this tragedy and the student's cause of death, it is too early to jump to conclusions," Drummond wrote.
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