Stephen F. Austin University Police Storm Black Student’s Dorm After False Claims By White Students
A Black freshman student at Stephen F. Austin University says she was the target of a racist set-up devised by her white roommates, and now an attorney for the 17-year-old’s family is comparing the horrific incident to the one that killed Breonna Taylor.
University police officers, according to KPRC 2, stormed the student’s dorm room with guns drawn in the middle of the night after being called by her roommates’ resident assistant, who unknowingly claimed they were under attack.
Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen says Christin Evans was awoken at 3:00am by university police officers who burst in her room.
“Their daughter was sleeping and awoken at 3 o’clock in the morning by local police with flashlights shining out and their guns drawn. This could have been a Breonna Taylor circumstance,” Kallinen said during a Monday afternoon (September 28) news conference.
Kallinen claims the teen’s three white roommates, along with as many as seven other girls, launched what is referred to as “swatting” by telling their resident assistant that Evans was attempting to attack them with scissors. The RA then called the police.
“They had falsely accused Christin of having scissors and threatening to stab people,” Kallinen said.
“I feel shaken,” Evans said during the news conference. “I don’t even know how to think. I can’t sleep at night because of this. It has made me really paranoid.”
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The incident happened on September 14 on the school’s campus.
Kallinen says the university has not taken action against the girls who made the false report. The university police chief, in a video statement to KPRC 2, says they are investigating what happened.
“The university is investigating a racially diverse group of students in an incident involving a false report to the university police department,” Chief John Fields said in the video. “The students responsible will be held accountable for their actions at every possible level.”
Evans, who was a cheerleader in high school and looking to continue the sport at Stephen F. Austin, is now unsure about her future at the University.
“I was looking forward to making friends and having a good time on the cheer team, but since this has happened, it’s made it really, really hard,” she said.
Evans has been moved from the quad dorm.