Authorities say they have identified the person responsible for making a video that called for racial violence on the SIU-Carbondale campus.
Detectives of the SIU-C Department of Public Safety, the Jackson County State's Attorney's Office and the FBI say a 19-year-old white male from the Chicago area has admitted making the video as a prank.
SIU-C spokesperson Rae Goldsmith says the young man is not affiliated with the university.
"Not a current student, never been a student. (He) may have known some students here, so was aware of the issues. But, the police have indicated that there's no evidence that he was associated with any of the activities that were happening on campus in the spring and certainly no evidence that he was involved with the fraternity to which the video was originally attributed."
Police identified the young man through evidence related to the production and distribution of the video. Jackson County State's Attorney Mike Carr has declined to prosecute because the video could be considered protected speech.
Goldsmith says the university respects the ruling.
"We felt it was extremely important for us to our due diligence and gather the evidence so that he could issue an opinion because of what happened in the community over the spring. So, we have to live with that opinion. We also feel that we did our job of trying to get to the bottom of something that was very damaging."
The viral video was posted on social media in April and removed following a request from the university. None of the actions promoted in the video occurred. It helped spark a peaceful student protest on the Carbondale campus on May 2.
Police are still asking for help in identifying who's responsible for the vandalism and damage to state property in and around Faner Hall. Two videos featuring potential suspects have been released on this site.
Anyone with information about the incidents should contact the SIU-C Department of Public Safety at 618-453-3771 or Crime Stoppers at 618-453-COPS.
