District of Columbia police are investigating a possible hate crime on the campus of Gallaudet University.
Police and school officials said Wednesday that a group of high school-aged Gallaudet students held a black student against his will in a dorm room for up to an hour late Saturday and early Sunday, and used a marker to scrawl “KKK” and a swastika on his body.
The student immediately reported the incident to school authorities, said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
Police have interviewed all seven of the suspects, aged 15 to 19. Six were white and one was black, police said. The suspects attended the campus’ high school, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.
The students have not been identified because no charges have been filed, Lanier said. The department is investigating whether the incident could rise to the level of a hate crime, which would result in stiffer penalties, she said.
The incident started as “horseplay” between two separate groups and escalated into an argument, Lanier said. The groups split up and one of the groups grabbed a black student and held the student in the dorm room.
Gallaudet University Provost Stephen Weiner said he could not say whether the seven students were dismissed. But in a letter sent to students and faculty Wednesday, a school dean said the students were sent home.
