Mother of Duquesne student killed in fall still at odds with university

A woman still searching for answers in the 2018 death of her son at Duquesne University remains at odds with the school and its attorneys who say they have done all that they can to accommodate her demands for information.

Dannielle Brown, of Washington, D.C., has been on hunger strike in Pittsburgh for 40 days. She said she is prepared to die in the name of finding what she believes to be the truth in what happened to her son, Marquis ‘J.B.’ Brown.

The 21-year-old jumped out of a 16th floor window in Duquesne’s Brottier Hall on Oct. 4, 2018, and he was pronounced dead a short time later. Subsequent toxicology tests showed marijuana in his system, but those tests won’t necessarily show everything, said David Fawcett, a Reed Smith attorney representing Duquesne, including whether the marijuana he smoked was synthetic.

The university’s attorneys went over the short but deadly timeline of events that led to the football player’s death. They also said Duquesne Public Safety’s case file on the incident is ready for Brown to view – her attorney need only sign paperwork.

Brown said the university is not offering complete access. She said stipulations have been placed on her access to the case file, and she wants the names of student witnesses and the police officers so that her own investigator can rework the case and re-interview witnesses.

Until recently, Brown had been working with attorney S. Lee Merritt. She said Wednesday that she’s been consulting a number of local attorneys to find someone who can be more locally involved.

Access to that file along with an independent third-party investigation have been at the top of Brown’s list of wants since she arrived at Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in early July.

“There are privacy laws that apply to certain material in the requested file,” Fawcett said. “In this case, the file includes information regarding various students.”

Brown said the university is trying to control the narrative. Fawcett countered that the university is doing all that it can to meet her demands, which included body-worn cameras for all university officers and more de-escalation and mental health crisis training for them as well.

Fawcett said the school is working as quickly as it can on a process to get cameras on its officers. He said they are also working to provide even more training for officers.

In several statements from the university, officers have been described as “shocked” when Marquis Brown picked up a dorm room chair, smashed a window and leapt out. His mother said well-trained officers shouldn’t be shocked by anything when dealing with someone in crisis.

Jason Hazelwood, another Reed Smith attorney, said they recently learned that Brown has “made a substantial monetary demand” of the university. He did not provide an amount but said the facts of the case don’t warrant such a payout.

“The evidence clearly shows this was not a case of police misconduct or police negligence,” Hazelwood said.

Brown disagreed, and she along with those in her group of supporters believe that because her son went out the window, there is negligence.

She did not say if she planned to file a lawsuit or whether she had requested a specific amount of money. She said the university offered her an amount that she called “insulting.”

It was not clear what, if any, type of offer was made by the university.

Attorneys laid out what their investigation found happened that day, noting that two university police officers, a residence assistant and Marquis Brown’s roommate were all in the dorm room when he went out the window. Fawcett said the roommate’s version of events fell in line with police statements.

They said Marquis Brown left his room in Brottier Hall about 9:20 p.m. for a friend’s off-campus apartment to play video games. Others who were there reported that he smoked marijuana at the apartment.

“One eyewitness,” Hazelwood said, stated that “it seemed like a switch had flipped in J.B.”

When he returned to his dorm room, he ran inside as though he was being chased, according to Hazelwood. He said Marquis Brown’s roommate reported that Marquis Brown began throwing furniture and bouncing off walls. Students in another dorm room called security, Hazelwood said, believing there might be a fight.

According to a statement from attorneys: “J.B. then left the room and went to the hallway where he was skipping and throwing his hands in the air. When he returned from his second trip down the hallway, he again entered the room. One of the officers encouraged J.B. to sit down and stay calm.”

From there, they said, he inexplicably grabbed a chair, smashed a window and dove out.

“This is not just the word of the (university officers),” Hazelwood said. “J.B.’s roommate – someone that knew J.B., cared for J.B., had an affinity for J.B. – his report of the events is consistent with everyone else’s.”

Brown and her supporters believe the university is controlling what witnesses can and can’t say.

Lakeisha Wolf, the executive director of the Ujamaa Collective, a nonprofit that aims to support and lift the voices of African-American women, is among Brown’s supporters.

“These people are not opening their mouths,” she said of witnesses to the event, saying they believe that’s because the university is controlling the flow of information.

Brown said she will remain on hunger strike.