Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True

Atlanta Police Say 'No Discernible Signs' Of Foul Play In #PiedmontParkHanging - 'Consistent With Suicide'

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Thu, 07 Jul 2016 18:44:38 Z)

The discovery of a man's body hanging from a tree in a midtown Atlanta park early Thursday, just hours after a video of a black man being shot by police in Minnesota became viral, triggered a torrent of tweets suggesting it was a racist lynching. But investigators quickly said the death was "consistent with a suicide."

The dead man, who has not been publicly identified, was found hanging by a rope near an entrance to Piedmont Park just before Atlanta's sunrise, Atlanta Police spokesman Donald Hannah said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"There were no discernible signs of a struggle or foul play," Hannah said. A "Fulton County medical examiner concurred that the death was consistent with a suicide."

See Also: Unbelievable Video: Woman Broadcasts Boyfriend's Death On Facebook Live After Police Shoot Him During Traffic Stop

Despite what police say, many on Twitter are not buying the suicide theory:

About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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