Answers Few in ZMS Death

Mother: Don't Assume Suicide

Rumors circulating among Zebulon Middle School students claim an often-teased Wendell boy warned classmates he was going to hang himself with a jumprope in the boys locker room Friday afternoon, but apparently no one took him seriously.

Seventh-grader Chris Joyner, 12, died of apparent self-inflicted injuries Saturday morning at WakeMed after allegedly performing the suicide he'd described. About 2 p.m. Friday, another student found Joyner.

Wake Public Schools Communications Director Stella Shelton said Joyner was participating in his eighth-period physical education class, the last on his schedule that day. She added that there was no reason for teachers to think Joyner's going to the locker room was anything unusual, though class was still in session in the gym.

Zebulon Rescue and EMS workers arrived shortly after 2:15 p.m. Chief Garland Tant said the boy was in serious condition at that time.

When we got there, he was lying on the ground and first-aid procedures were being rendered by school officials, Tant said. Then we took over first-aid."

When the boy was transported to the hospital, Tant added Joyner still had a pulse and was alive. His condition later took a turn for the worse, prompting Tant to comment on the "sad" situation. "What kind of problems does a 12-year-old have that makes him want to take his own life?"

As a behaviorally and emotionally handicapped student, Joyner attended special-education classes. His mother, Yvonne Joyner of Wendell, is asking the media to report positive aspects of her son's life. She said he was an honor roll student, advanced in his classes. "He was a seventh-grader doing eighth- and ninth-grade work. He was extremely active, and all he wanted was friends and to be loved."

Joyner added some media members are not reporting the story correctly.

"It's not what the news is reporting. They're just "guesstimating" because of the way they found him," she said. "Don't assume it was intentional. It may have been accidental."

The Zebulon Police Department is investigating the death and if others were involved. During a news conference Friday, Interim Chief Gary Driver said the department officially called the circumstances "the discovery of an unconscious body."

Police say they have no clues to indicate what occurred in that locker room. "We have questioned some of the students," Driver said. "It's near the end of the day and most of them have gone home. We have talked to the student that did find the young man, but we have not had any other information made available.

Nicknamed "Inches" due to his small size, Joyner's stature was said by peers to have led to teasing. But Shelton said there is no evidence suggesting the child was ever bullied on campus.

After the incident was reported to medical personnel and police, yellow tape was strung around the entire gym. All of the students remaining on the premises were kept inside the cafeteria until they were picked up by buses or their parents. Meanwhile, faculty and staff members consoled the students, as well as each other.

The ZMS receptionist and some fill-in volunteers took phone calls from worried parents who were trying to find out what happened. They were told to tell callers "an accident had occurred, but that's all the information they could give them," Assistant Principal Jennifer Carnes said.

Wake Assistant Superintendent Walt Sherlin said he was shocked. "We talked to some of his teachers today, and he seemed to be having a good day, at least part of the way through the day.

Crisis counselors were on hand Monday to assist students who might have trouble dealing with the death. Further services are available by calling 250-3133.