Kendrick Johnson, 17, suffocated at his Valdosta school in
January 2013 after becoming trapped in an upright wrestling mat
while trying to retrieve a tennis shoe, according to
authorities.
The death of the black teenager has drawn wide attention due to
its unusual circumstances and charges of racism. Johnson's
parents say their son was harassed by a white classmate before
his death.
"There is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable
doubt that someone or some group of people willfully violated
Kendrick Johnson’s civil rights or committed any other
prosecutable federal crime," a statement from the Justice
Department said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution
newspaper.
Local and state authorities have determined that Johnson's death
was accidental.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Paul
Tait)
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