Morning News

Family of Mississippi Teenager Found Hanged Demand Federal Investigation

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The mother and brother of a black Mississippi teenager who was found hanged are in Washington today. They plan to meet with Attorney General Janet Reno. Seventeen-year- old Raynard Johnson was found hanging from a tree last month outside his home. A medical examiner called it a suicide, but Johnson's family doesn't believe that, and they're demanding a federal investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know there's no way, no way Raynard would do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raynard had no reason to commit suicide. He showed no reason.

KAGAN (voice-over): And that's why the family of 17-year-old Raynard Johnson is calling for a federal investigation into his death. Johnson's family describes the young man as popular and outgoing. he was found hanging from a pecan tree in his front yard in Kokomo, Mississippi, about a month ago.

A medical examiner's report concluded the honors student committed suicide. But Johnson's family believes he was murdered. They believe some white people in the small Mississippi town didn't approve of the 17-year-old's friendship with white girls.

The family has asked for help from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and others. Just last weekend, Jackson and his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition led about 1,000 demonstrators on a march, demanding that federal authorities take a closer look at the death of Raynard Johnson.

BRAD PIGOTT, U.S. ATTORNEY: We have done a lot of work. We have a lot of work yet to go. We are not about to give up in getting to the bottom of the full truth of everything that might relate to the young man's death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: First, let me correct myself, it is Raynard Johnson. For more insight on his case, we are joined from Washington by his brother, Roger Johnson. He is also with Lewis Meyers, the Johnson family attorney. Mr. Meyers also is a general counsel for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Gentlemen, thank you for joining us.

LEWIS MEYERS, JOHNSON FAMILY ATTY.: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Roger, I would like to start by just offering my condolences to your family, and saying I am very sorry for your family's loss.

ROGER JOHNSON, VICTIM'S BROTHER: Thank you.

KAGAN: Can you please tell us a little bit about your brother so we know about him as a person, instead of just as a victim?

JOHNSON: My brother was a person, very intelligent, very smart, everyone loved him. And he was just real bright.

KAGAN: Tell me a little bit more with your family, in light of this tragedy, the gut indistinct that you have that this was not a suicide.

JOHNSON: I know Raynard -- I knew Raynard as a brother and as a best friend. I, myself, and the community know that Raynard did not kill himself.

KAGAN: There just was no signs that he might have been depressed or be in that type of situation that he be suicidal?

JOHNSON: If there would have been any signs he would have showed me, first of all. There were no signs at all. No there weren't.

KAGAN: And what about this talk that perhaps you and your brother were hanging around two white girls, and so people were upset about that? Had there been any kind of problem before your brother's death?

JOHNSON: There has never been a physical confrontation. But, yes, there has been problems.

KAGAN: Can you tell us, without naming any names, what kind of problems there had been?

JOHNSON: Mostly words. Like I said, there has not been no physical confrontation, no one had came up to us and confronted us about it. But we heard about it all the time.

KAGAN: OK, let's bring in Mr. Meyers. There has already been an autopsy in this case, where the medical examiner says that, indeed, it was an autopsy, and also, isn't there a local investigation. Why isn't that enough?

MEYERS: Well, there is a local investigation. However, we have some credible evidence that there is a possibility that a local law enforcement official may have been involved in what we now believe to be a murder. And so, obviously, we have asked for a federal investigation to take a look at what is going on. Let me also say that, on more than three occasions, both Raynard, as well as Roger, had been stopped by the local police when two young white women were in fact in their car. Each one of those occasions were a bit scary. Number one, on at least a second occasion, both Raynard, as well as Roger, where threatened by white law enforcement officers in the county when in fact they were stopped.

We now know of at least two incidents, although they were not physical incidents, they were incidents where both Raynard and Roger were confronted and at least one of the persons in the confrontation is a very, very credible suspect in this murder. So there is sufficient evidence that leads toward not suicide, but leads toward homicide.

KAGAN: And the FBI is looking into this. When you meet with Attorney General Janet Reno, will you tell her that an FBI investigation is not sufficient?

MEYERS: Well, we are going to tell Attorney General -- we will tell Attorney General Reno that we are concerned about an FBI investigation. We have some indication that the FBI has said some very interesting things to people about our involvement in it. The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition is out to help and try and solve what we believe to be a homicide. But we have quite a bit to tell the attorney general when we meet with her today, as well as we will be meeting with people on Capitol Hill.

KAGAN: All right, well, we will look forward to that, and see what comes out of those meetings. Lewis Meyers, Roger Johnson, gentlemen, thanks for joining us this morning here on MORNING NEWS.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

MEYERS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com