A Manchester, Tennessee community has gone into mourning after the suicide of a local teenager, Channing Smith, who took his own life after classmates outed him.
16-year-old Smith had sent intimate messages to another boy which revealed him to be gay or bisexual. The fellow student, along with a female friend, posted those messages to various social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat. Faced with the cyberbullying, Smith shot himself in the head.
Related: After Criticizing Obama, Bristol Palin Now Claims To Be Victim Of Cyberbullying
Channing Smith’s older brother Joshua expressed his outrage with a local Fox affiliate. “They did it to just completely humiliate and embarrass my brother,” Joshua said. “Being in a small, rural town in the middle of Tennessee, you can imagine being the laughing stock and having to go to school Monday morning. He couldn’t face the humiliation that was waiting on him when he got to school on Monday, so he shot and killed himself.”
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Joshua Smith also expressed his outrage at District Attorney Craig Northcott for refusing to prosecute the bullies in connection with Channing’s suicide.
“I was told by the lead investigator in Coffee County that he was pushing to have the kids charged criminally and the District Attorney’s office has decided that they did not want to pursue it,” he said.
Northcott has come repeatedly under fire for attacking marriage equality and refusing to investigate cases of domestic violence among same-sex couples.
Vince
Like to find those bullies and do the same to them.
Vince
Make that to you as well. 😉
JaredMacBride
Very sad what happened to the young man but it brings to mind something my aunt told me: Say it forget it write it regret it. This has always been true, especially now that idiots can share what you’ve written with the entire world in five seconds.
man5996853
We’re talking about a lonely, horny, closeted and isolated 16-year-old and not an adult who has the life experience to know better(and there are many adults who don’t know better). And you had an adult in your life who gave you good advice; there is no certainty that this young man had the same guidance.
Billysees
Say it forget it write it regret it.
Interesting statement that makes much sense.
Smith David
What a tragedy. I hope his death helps to encourage other gay youths in his community(and we all know the town has others) to come out and brave the storm. If only in his honor. The kids in this generation are vipers. I hope this terrible act haunts them for life.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
God how mad that makes me…. Poor kid could turn to the Trevor project they have trained counselors on staff 24/7…..
those smcubag kids and vile noxious puke Northcott are all going to burn in the darkest corner of hell for all eternity
Rex Huskey
may I suggest a spiritual source for your anger? until that time…shut up fool
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
REX: Even on a sad tragic thread like this you continue your asinine comments????
You are despicable, beyond pathetic. Keep replying to my comments, what a miserable soulless life you must live….
Cam
@Rex Huskey
Hi Queerty, this troll account has merely repeated the same name calling attacks in the last few posts. On this particular story it is attacking somebody for pointing out the bigotry that drove this kid to his death. Time to force them to get a new screename?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Cam,. What they need to do is ban it’s IP address. This pathetic puke spends it’s miserable empty life trolling Gay sites posting inane nonsense…
It lashes out probably because it’s so disturbingly unattractive no Gay person will interact with it…..
Cam
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Everything you said!
Cam
Bigots do this to people. Remember, this is the prosecutor that said he wouldn’t prosecute same sex domestic violence cases because they shouldn’t be married.
It’s all about hate with these people.
Charlie in Charge
What an incredibly unkind thing for them to do. I understand that teenagers can often be thoughtless but people really understand what a weapon social media can be.
armandov
That D.A. needs to get off his a$$ and do something about this. The bullies can still be prosecuted as juveniles.
gavo92
I bet those bullies are going to be gay themselves. I remember this bully used to pick on me, and one day he message me on a gay dating app for sex. Asshole.
Tombear
He should of brought a gun to school!
1898
what is wrong with you?
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
The principal of his high school made the kids who wore tee shirts to honor him take them off. Why that was left out of the article bewilders me. This poor kid had no one to turn to and this story really hit me hard. That principal needs some serious counseling. My guess is he feared more would come out of the closet. RIP kid.
Tombear
@Rex, no one liked you when you were a kid,right?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Pretty certain it’s been unliked by anyone since birth….
To leave a nasty comment on a thread about a boy so who took his own life disgusting
Pretty hard to like such an abhorrent noxious soulless repulsive cold hearted looking troll…
Kangol2
A heartbreaking story. This poor young man. Both of the creeps who outed him should pay a severe price.
Billysees
YES …
Davidsas
Do you want sex? Do you want to suck a big dick? The most beautiful, sexiest young guys with big dicks want sex here and now. Select here 707gay.com
one more thing
By not prosecuting the cyberbullies it sends the message that this is acceptable behavior. The family should sue the city and the school.
Lauchlan
This is to the moderators of Queerty – a young man tragically took his life and you STILL allow arseh9les like EdwinSmith1236 and JonathonYoung12473 to infest this site