A small Alabama town has been shaken by the case that’s sparked protests, social media outrage, and a family’s unrelenting search for answers.
In August, Deshler High School student August Borden, 16, was rushed to the hospital with catastrophic injuries, including multiple skull and facial fractures, after collapsing near the school’s weight room. The US football player’s parents described the aftermath as chaos.
His mother, Kristen Van Devender, said to PEOPLE: “It was chaos…a living nightmare”, recalling the moment she arrived on campus to find her son unconscious.
Since then, rumors have swirled across the Shoals community and online: claims of bullying, cover-ups, and calls for accountability. Billboards reading ‘Justice for August’ were even spotted along Alabama highways, reported by WAFF, as pressure mounted on school officials and law enforcement to uncover what really happened that afternoon.
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Now, after weeks of speculation, the Madison County District Attorney’s Office has closed its investigation, ruling that Borden’s devastating injuries were the result of a ‘freak accident’.
District Attorney Robert Broussard said: “We have heard a lot of rumors, a lot of speculation, a lot of conspiracy theories about ‘This was some awful beat down and some assault’. I’m here to tell you the conclusion of our investigation shows that’s absolutely not the case.”
According to investigators, also reported by WAFF, Borden and another teammate, described as friends, were leaving the workout facility when the other student playfully ‘bear hugs’ him from behind. Moments later, Borden coughed, made a strange noise, and collapsed. Witnesses said he fell off a six-inch step, hit his face, and immediately began seizing.
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After explaining how Borden fell with ‘full force’, hitting both the side and front of his face due to not being able to protect himself, Deputy District Attorney Tim Gann explained: “There’s absolutely nothing in the criminal justice system that is appropriate in this because there’s absolutely zero ill will and zero reckless behavior going on when this happened. It’s a tragic accident and the injuries are terrible, but it’s nothing criminal.”
Seventeen people were interviewed during the investigation, including eight eyewitnesses.
Still, the decision hasn’t silenced critics. WAFF additionally reported that protestors outside the school this week, saying the explanation ‘sounds like corruption and cover-up’.
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Broussard has pushed back against the backlash, saying: “It’s the court of public opinion.”
Later, he elaborated that this is essentially a product of the social media age, adding: “Nowadays you have this platform where everybody is so self-important, and their opinion means so much, their mind is made up.”
August’s family remains skeptical.
His stepfather, Jason Borden, told AL.com: “When you look at the photos and all the evidence that we have, to come out and say that there was absolutely no foul play involved and it’s just a total freak accident, it doesn’t line up to me at all. It doesn’t. It’s very shocking.”
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Despite the DA’s ruling, the Tuscumbia City Schools superintendent confirmed in a statement provided to PEOPLE that the district’s internal investigation is still ongoing.
Topics: Alabama, Crime, Social Media, US News
Ben Williams