Hundreds of people gathered at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday (March 6) for a second line honoring Caleb Wilson, the 20-year-old Kenner native and Southern University’s Human Jukebox member who died during a fraternity hazing ritual at Southern University last Thursday.

Caleb McCray, a 23-year-old Southern University graduate and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was arrested on Thursday (Mar. 6) and charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of hazing. Baton Rouge Police will have a press conference on Friday (Mar. 7) about the incident. 

The second line was organized by Brandon Mitchell, a percussionist and close friend of Wilson. The two performed together as members of the Trombone Shorty Foundation and founding members of the 110 Brass Band, a band made up of young New Orleans musicians. Mitchell and Wilson had also bonded through Carnival-season band battles, as Wilson played trumpet for Warren Easton High School while Mitchell marched for St. Augustine High School. 

PHOTOS: Loved ones of Caleb Wilson march through Treme in second line honoring him

“He was a very big part in everyone’s lives,” Mitchell told Verite News at the event. “He just put a smile on everybody’s face and he was always cracking jokes. He always got his work done too, he was always smart. He was just a big part of the community.” 

Wilson’s family led the parade throughout the streets of Treme, followed by a large crowd of mentors and peers of Wilson and other community members. 

Ryan Williams, a trombonist and close friend of Wilson through Trombone Shorty and 110 Brass Band recalled memories he shared with Wilson. 

“We were playing at a spot in San Francisco on stage and I ain’t know the music,” Williams said. “Me and Caleb were on the stage looking at each other through the side of our eyes laughing and stuff. We didn’t know what to do, but we just faked it till we made it.” 

The parade ended back at Tuba Fats Square, where Urania Wilson, Caleb’s mother, thanked the community for their support. 

“I just want to thank you all for coming out and supporting Caleb,” she said. “It really shows the love and it shows that Caleb has really touched each of us. And I just want to thank you all for your support.”

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Hundreds gather for second line to honor Caleb Wilson, who died in fraternity hazing ritual

by John Gray, Verite News New Orleans
March 7, 2025

<h1>Hundreds gather for second line to honor Caleb Wilson, who died in fraternity hazing ritual</h1> <p class="byline">by John Gray, Verite News New Orleans <br />March 7, 2025</p> <p>Hundreds of people gathered at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday (March 6) for a second line honoring Caleb Wilson, the 20-year-old Kenner native and Southern University’s Human Jukebox member who died during a fraternity hazing ritual at Southern University last Thursday.</p> <p>Caleb McCray, a 23-year-old Southern University graduate and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was arrested on Thursday (Mar. 6) and charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of hazing. Baton Rouge Police will have a press conference on Friday (Mar. 7) about the incident.&nbsp;</p> <p>The second line was organized by Brandon Mitchell, a percussionist and close friend of Wilson. The two performed together as members of the Trombone Shorty Foundation and founding members of the 110 Brass Band, a band made up of young New Orleans musicians. Mitchell and Wilson had also bonded through Carnival-season band battles, as Wilson played trumpet for Warren Easton High School while Mitchell marched for St. Augustine High School.&nbsp;</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">PHOTOS: Loved ones of Caleb Wilson march through Treme in second line honoring him</h4> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Ryan Williams performs with 110 Brass Band and other musicians during a second line parade in honor of Caleb Wilson at Tubafats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Williams met Wilson through the Tuba Shorty Foundation and was an original member of 110 Brass Band." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21704" data-id="21704" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07092035/Caleb_01.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Ryan Williams performs with 110 Brass Band and other musicians during a second line parade in honor of Caleb Wilson at Tubafats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Williams met Wilson through the Tuba Shorty Foundation and was an original member of 110 Brass Band.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="(From right to left) Corey Wilson, brother, Coren Wilson, sister, Corey Wilson, father, and Uriana Wilson, mother, walk hand in hand down St. Philip Street followed by a crowd of mourners on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21703" data-id="21703" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091954/Caleb_02.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">(From right to left) Corey Wilson, brother, Coren Wilson, sister, Corey Wilson, father, and Uriana Wilson, mother, walk hand in hand down St. Philip Street followed by a crowd of mourners on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Community members dance during the second line parade in honor of Caleb Wilson in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21702" data-id="21702" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091923/Caleb_03.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Community members dance during the second line parade in honor of Caleb Wilson in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Caleb Wilson’s parents, Uriana Wilson, left, and Corey Wilson watch as 110 Brass Band play the first song in the second line parade at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21701" data-id="21701" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091852/Caleb_04.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Caleb Wilson’s parents, Uriana Wilson, left, and Corey Wilson watch as 110 Brass Band play the first song in the second line parade at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Dontae Victory plays trumpet during the first song of the second line parade at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21699" data-id="21699" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091749/Caleb_06.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Dontae Victory plays trumpet during the first song of the second line parade at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Caleb Wilson’s surviving family leads the procession throughout the streets of Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21698" data-id="21698" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091717/Caleb_07.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Caleb Wilson’s surviving family leads the procession throughout the streets of Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Hundreds came to support Wilson’s family in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Many sported Warren Easton High School and Southern University paraphernalia." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21697" data-id="21697" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091640/Caleb_08.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Hundreds came to support Wilson’s family in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Many sported Warren Easton High School and Southern University paraphernalia.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Some attendees walked throughout the streets of Treme carrying posters with Wilson’s face on it on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21696" data-id="21696" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091607/Caleb_09.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Some attendees walked throughout the streets of Treme carrying posters with Wilson’s face on it on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="A second line attendee dances in front of the procession on Esplanade Avenue on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21695" data-id="21695" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091534/Caleb_10.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A second line attendee dances in front of the procession on Esplanade Avenue on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Terry Dunn, Wilson’s older cousin, plays trombone during the second line parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21694" data-id="21694" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091459/Caleb_11.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Terry Dunn, Wilson’s older cousin, plays trombone during the second line parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="“We miss you,” the crowd sang during the parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21693" data-id="21693" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091427/Caleb_12.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">“We miss you,” the crowd sang during the parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Posters of Wilson were held up during the second line in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Wilson was a founding member of 110 Brass Band, a group made up of young musicians in New Orleans." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21692" data-id="21692" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091355/Caleb_13.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Posters of Wilson were held up during the second line in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. Wilson was a founding member of 110 Brass Band, a group made up of young musicians in New Orleans. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="An attendee of the parade holds up a poster of Wilson while dancing down North Robertson Street on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21691" data-id="21691" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091327/Caleb_14.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">An attendee of the parade holds up a poster of Wilson while dancing down North Robertson Street on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="LeBron Joseph, a drum major coach for St. Augustine high school plays trombone during the second line parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21690" data-id="21690" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091252/Caleb_15.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">LeBron Joseph, a drum major coach for St. Augustine high school plays trombone during the second line parade in Treme on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Posters with photos of Wilson held up near Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21689" data-id="21689" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091220/Caleb_16.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Posters with photos of Wilson held up near Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="A poster with photos of Wilson held up near Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21688" data-id="21688" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091148/Caleb_17.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A poster with photos of Wilson held up near Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="The second line ended back at Tuba Fats Square with dancing, tears and music in Wilson’s honor on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21687" data-id="21687" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091112/Caleb_18.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">The second line ended back at Tuba Fats Square with dancing, tears and music in Wilson’s honor on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Ryan Williams holds up a t-shirt with images of Wilson on it at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21686" data-id="21686" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091039/Caleb_19.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Ryan Williams holds up a t-shirt with images of Wilson on it at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Caleb Wilson’s mother, Uriana Wilson, center, thanks those in attendance for their support at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-21685" data-id="21685" src="https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/07091004/Caleb_20.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Caleb Wilson’s mother, Uriana Wilson, center, thanks those in attendance for their support at Tuba Fats Square on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025. </figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>“He was a very big part in everyone's lives,” Mitchell told Verite News at the event. “He just put a smile on everybody's face and he was always cracking jokes. He always got his work done too, he was always smart. He was just a big part of the community.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Wilson’s family led the parade throughout the streets of Treme, followed by a large crowd of mentors and peers of Wilson and other community members.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ryan Williams, a trombonist and close friend of Wilson through Trombone Shorty and 110 Brass Band recalled memories he shared with Wilson.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We were playing at a spot in San Francisco on stage and I ain’t know the music,” Williams said. “Me and Caleb were on the stage looking at each other through the side of our eyes laughing and stuff. We didn't know what to do, but we just faked it till we made it.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The parade ended back at Tuba Fats Square, where Urania Wilson, Caleb’s mother, thanked the community for their support.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I just want to thank you all for coming out and supporting Caleb,” she said. “It really shows the love and it shows that Caleb has really touched each of us. And I just want to thank you all for your support.”</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://stg-veritenewsorg-staging.kinsta.cloud/2025/03/07/caleb-wilson-hazing-southern-university/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://stg-veritenewsorg-staging.kinsta.cloud&quot;&gt;Verite News New Orleans&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://cdn.veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/11131054/cropped-Verite-icon-150x150.png&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://stg-veritenewsorg-staging.kinsta.cloud/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=21705&amp;amp;ga4=G-MBPTYVCMYR&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://stg-veritenewsorg-staging.kinsta.cloud/2025/03/07/caleb-wilson-hazing-southern-university/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/stg-veritenewsorg-staging.kinsta.cloud/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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