Nationwide candlelight vigils set in honor of Afghan refugee Rezwan Kohistani

Kimberly Barker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Jul. 14—A series of candlelight vigils honoring Afghan refugee Rezwan Kohistani, who was found dead at Webb City High School in May, will take place simultaneously throughout seven cities Thursday as a show of solidarity with the family.

Webb City's candlelight vigil is slated for 8:30 p.m. at City Hall, 200 S Main St. Other cities holding vigils will be Kansas City; Salt Lake City; New Haven, Connecticut; Hayward, California; San Diego; and Sacramento, California.

The local vigil is open to the public.

Kohistani, 14, started attending Webb City schools in January. The teen's body was found around 7 a.m. May 5 at the high school baseball field, according to Webb City police Chief Don Melton.

Jasper County Coroner Randy Nace ruled the teen's death a suicide by hanging. Webb City school officials and the Webb City Police Department said they haven't found any evidence that suggests Kohistani was bullied after allegations were made on social media.

The investigation is ongoing.

Joplin attorney William Fleischaker recently confirmed that he will be representing Kohistani's family in conducting an independent investigation as well.

"The Kohistanis deserve to know what if any external forces lead Rezwan to believe that the only way out of his misery was to end his life," he said in a statement. "Furthermore, they need to be satisfied that Rezwan did, in fact, take his own life and if he did not, then they deserve to have those responsible for his death brought to justice."

In May, numerous Afghan-American and Muslim organizations, including the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and its national office, called for a thorough and transparent police investigation into Kohistani's death and to look into any allegations of bullying.

Emails provided recently to The Joplin Globe from the Webb City School District did not indicate any bullying or struggles with other students, but organizers with the nationwide vigils believe the investigation of the allegations should continue.