State gets Florida hazing death probe

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 27 (UPI) -- The investigation into the suspected hazing death of a Florida A&M University drum major has been turned over to the state, local officials said.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said all information involving last year's death of Robert Champion, 26, has been given to the Florida State Attorney's Office, the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat reported Tuesday.

Champion died last November after he collapsed on a bus following the Florida Classic football game in Orlando. Some students have said he was subjected to a hazing ritual that involved running a gauntlet of other students while getting from the front to the back of a bus.

His death prompted a series of criminal and administrative inquiries and the suspension of new members for all student clubs, organizations, fraternities and sororities. Four band members have been charged with another alleged hazing incident.

So far, no charges have been filed in Champion's death but the sheriff's office spokeswoman said investigators have spent more than 1,000 hours on the case and interviewed more than 40 people.