© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Frat not to blame for student's death, sheriff says

Authorities believe a fraternity is not to blame for the death of a 19-year-old Lenoir Rhyne University student. The Catawba County Sheriff's Office says Harrison Kowiak died from head injuries he received during a game of Capture the Flag Monday night. Officers have interviewed 16 witnesses of the Theta Chi initiation. Sheriff David Huffman says Kowiak's death was likely a fluke and there's no reason to believe the fraternity initiation was unduly rough. "Some go beyond what an initiation should and we normally call those hazings. This activity was not, this was an activity that this organization or fraternity if you will has been doing for a number of years," says Huffman. The Sheriff's Office says Kowiak's friends took him to a local hospital in Catawba County. The student was then airlifted to a hospital in Charlotte.