New Hampshire

Legal Dispute Prevents Release of Report on Biracial Boy's Near-Hanging

Almost a year after an 8-year-old biracial boy was nearly hanged, the New Hampshire attorney general's office says a legal dispute is preventing it from releasing a report on its investigation.

Allegations have surfaced that several teenagers taunted the boy in Claremont with racial slurs on Aug. 28 and then pushed him off a picnic table with a rope around his neck. The boy's grandmother had said his injuries were treated at a hospital.

"One boy said ... 'Let's do this,' and then pushed him off the picnic table and hung him," his grandmother reportedly said.

The attorney general's office says Wednesday that once its investigation was complete, it sought a court order to release the report, "due to confidentiality constraints and the ages of the children involved."

The office says the report hasn't been released because litigation over whether it may be released "is ongoing." It didn't provide further details.

The parents of one of the accused teenagers reportedly insisted the incident was an accident and wasn't motivated by racism.

A rally was held in September to offer support to the boy's family and to call for more action against racism.

Copyright The Associated Press
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