Roanoke Rapids police are investigating the death of a man found connected to a ligature Friday morning, with Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins emphasizing that investigators have not determined whether the death was self-inflicted or involved another person.
Demetrius Eugene Fleming was found deceased after officers responded to 1926 Roanoke Avenue on the morning of Aug. 21 following a 911 call initially reported as an attempted suicide.
Halifax County EMS and the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department also responded to provide medical aid, but Fleming was determined to already be deceased.
During a Friday afternoon press conference, Wiggins described the case as an “open, equivocal death investigation” and repeatedly cautioned against drawing conclusions about how Fleming died.
“This investigation is in its infancy, and it is important to neither make nor perpetuate assumptions as facts,” Wiggins said. “The evidence will provide the conclusion, and anything else will just create more confusion.”
Wiggins also directly acknowledged the circumstances surrounding Fleming’s death.
“We are aware of and acknowledge the implications surrounding the death of a Black male due to a hanging,” Wiggins said.
When asked whether police had any indication that another person was involved, Wiggins said investigators were not working from any predetermined conclusion.
“Everything is on the table,” he said.
Later in the press conference, Wiggins was even more explicit about what investigators have, and have not, determined.
“We can’t definitively say whether this was self-inflicted or whether this was malicious,” Wiggins said.
Initial 911 caller was not at the scene
Although the original call was reported to emergency communications as an attempted suicide, Wiggins disclosed during questioning that the person who called 911 was not at the scene when the call was made.
Asked who made the call, Wiggins described the caller only as someone “close to the victim” and declined to provide additional details because of the ongoing investigation.
Wiggins also declined to identify the type of ligature involved, saying that information was a critical fact in the investigation.
When asked whether Fleming had any other signs of injury, Wiggins said that determination would come from an autopsy.
Wiggins did not know Friday afternoon when or where the autopsy would take place but said he expected to have a more definitive answer regarding scheduling by Monday.
Surveillance footage and victimology
A reporter asked Wiggins whether investigators were seeking surveillance footage from businesses around the area where Fleming was found.
“That is something we normally pursue,” Wiggins said, adding that he expected nothing would change in this case.
Investigators have also been in contact with members of Fleming’s family.
Wiggins declined to discuss details about Fleming’s personal life or whether he may have been experiencing personal struggles, explaining that information concerning Fleming’s personality and psychological state would be considered part of the victimology and treated as investigative material.
Wiggins said investigators need to weigh what they learn about Fleming against the other evidence before releasing information that could influence public perception of what occurred.
Chief acknowledges recent Raleigh case
Wiggins was also asked about a recent case in Raleigh involving circumstances described by a reporter as similar.
Wiggins stressed that police cannot say the two cases are connected but acknowledged that the Raleigh case brings additional attention to Fleming’s death.
“I think it would be irresponsible to say no,” Wiggins said. “It is the elephant in the room, right?”
He again emphasized that investigators do not yet know what led to Fleming’s death and have not determined whether it was self-inflicted or malicious.
Wiggins said the department intends to conduct the investigation as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to establish the facts and provide answers to Fleming’s family.
“In the information age and the social media age, we know people are going to make assumptions regardless of what the facts are,” Wiggins said.
Reporter requests 911 records
Following the press conference, the Roanoke Valley Reporter submitted a public records request to the Halifax County Emergency Services Director seeking records associated with the initial 911 call and emergency response to 1926 Roanoke Avenue.
Those records could provide additional information about what was reported to emergency communications before officers arrived and why the initial call was classified as an attempted suicide.
We will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Anyone with information concerning Fleming’s death is encouraged to contact Halifax County Crime Stoppers at 252-583-4444 or submit information through the P3 application.
