CMPD didn’t speak with assaulted Muslim student during hate crime review, family says
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigators looking into whether an assault on a Muslim student at Ardrey Kell High School qualified as a hate crime did not interview the girl as part of that review, a family spokesperson said Thursday.
CMPD announced Wednesday that no hate crime occurred.
Jibril Hough of the Islamic Center of Charlotte spoke on behalf of the family in an interview with The Charlotte Observer on Thursday and said the family was disappointed with CMPD’s conclusion, but understood there is a high bar to bring a hate crime charge.
Still, the family doesn’t understand how CMPD investigators looking into the hate crime aspect reached a conclusion without interviewing the girl, he said. Although a CMPD school resource officer initially investigated the assault, CMPD said its investigators separately determined there was no evidence to support charges under North Carolina ethnic intimidation statutes.
“I have a good relationship with CMPD and and the brass there, and I felt like they were going to give this the attention that it deserved and it doesn’t look like they did,” Hough said. “I don’t know how any investigation could take place when you don’t even interview the girl.”
The CMPD public affairs division did not respond to a question Wednesday about how investigators reviewed the case, and did not immediately respond Thursday to further questions.
Background on case
The girl’s family held a press conference in March alleging that the boy at school, who they said was a football player, assaulted her March 7 after days of bullying over her race. The boy’s family later issued a statement saying she was bullying him and he was defending himself.
School officials and a school resource officer investigated and issued disciplinary action.
CMPD said March 13 that it had sent a school resource officer’s report to the FBI for investigation of whether the assault qualified as a hate crime under the law.
But CMPD said Wednesday on the social media site X that the hate crime issue was reviewed by CMPD personnel on an FBI task force.
The post said “there is currently no active investigation by the FBI into this matter as there is no evidence to support that the crime occurred due to the victim’s religion, race or ethnicity.”
The mother of the 15-year-old girl cried after learning of CMPD’s announcement and the girl, whose name has not been released, was upset, Hough said.
The girl suffered broken bones in her face and jaw. Hough said the sight in one of her eyes hasn’t come back yet and that she’s going to have to have metal implanted in her face.
The family of the boy has said via Charlotte public relations firm the LEPR Agency that he was defending himself after the girl “chose violence” and that she had repeatedly verbally taunted him.
Both students were suspended, according to the girl’s family.
LaToya Evans, a spokesperson for the boy’s family, issued a statement to The Charlotte Observer:
“The young man involved in the incident also didn’t participate in any additional interviews after both students spoke to CMPD on the day it occurred, as there was never any evidence to support hate crime charges from the very start. This was simply a classroom fight that continues to be mischaracterized.”
FBI issues statement Friday
The FBI issued a joint statement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office late Friday afternoon saying that after an initial assessment, there was no indication that any federal laws, particularly federal hate crime laws, were violated.
But the federal authorities said they would review any new information that becomes available suggesting a federal crime.
The statement said:
“We are aware of the situation involving two Charlotte-Mecklenburg High School students. While we understand the concern surrounding such incidents, federal authorities initiate investigations and begin to take investigative steps, including conducting interviews, after an initial assessment of the available information indicates a potential federal violation. At this time, there is no indication that the conduct implicates any federal laws, and in particular federal hate crimes laws.
“We remain in contact with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and if new information becomes available suggesting a federal crime, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are prepared to review it and proceed accordingly. Because this alleged incident involves juveniles, privacy protections constrain federal authorities from making any further comments.”
NAACP president raises concerns
The girl’s family held a news conference Friday afternoon to call for the school to release surveillance footage. A school video, which the girl’s father and older brother have seen, shows the assault after it moved from the classroom to the hallway, Hough said.
Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP chapter, said the boy’s family has reached out to her.
She said she was upset by the hate crime allegation against him and the spread of what she said is misinformation about the assault and the preceding events, pointing to what the boy’s family said took place.
“Our responsibility is to care for both these children,” Mack said in an interview on Thursday. “I’m saddened that this girl was injured, no question, but … for anyone to put misinformation into the atmosphere, especially in this climate we’re in, is troubling.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM.
