Black Man Found Hanging From Tree Ruled Suicide by Albany Police, But Residents Doubtful

The unidentified man, 58, was discovered on Wednesday, June 18.

Police in Albany, New York, claim a Black man found hanging from a tree was a suicide.

According to the Times-Union, the man was discovered June 18, on Westerlo Street. Police officers were called around 8 a.m. When they arrived, they pronounced the 58-year-old man dead.

There were reports of a video circulating online showing the man’s condition, but it has since been taken down, according to the newspaper. The man has not been identified.

“At this time, based upon preliminary investigation, the circumstances appear to be consistent with suicide and no evidence to suggest that the incident is criminal in nature,” the police department said in a written statement.

News One reports that there are doubts over the police’s ruling from residents and people claiming to be family members of the deceased.

“There’s been skepticism over it being a cut-and-dry suicide given how little information has been released about the incident,” News One reports. “In fact, most reporting on the case has come from locals doing their own digging into what happened.”

Several neighborhood residents have posted on TikTok that the unidentified individual was a man named Earl Smith. He had been baptized recently, according to a GoFundMe page organized by Melissa Saunders, who writes that Smith was her uncle

“In loving memory of my uncle, Earl Smith,” the page reads. “Earl was A husband, A father. A Grandfather, a great-grandfather. A brother. Who was often the life of the party. He loved to sing And dance.Earl Was A hard worker, That loved and adored his family. Just recently getting baptized. Just last Sunday. He had many plans and looked forward to so much. For some reason, we are here. So we’re raising funds to cover funeral expenses, & memorial service . Your support would mean the world to us during this difficult time.”