Leftist narrative around Dagny Benedict's tragic death begins to crumble under scrutiny
https://www.theblaze.com/news/leftist-narrative-around-dagny-benedicts-tragic-death-begins-to-crumble-under-scrutinyDagny Benedict was a sophomore at Owasso High School in Tulsa who allegedly identified as "nonbinary." Benedict was involved in an altercation with other students on Feb. 7. The next day, she died unexpectedly.
Democrats and LGBT activists rushed to exploit the 16-year-old student's tragic passing, casting it both as a result of anti-LGBT bullying that supposedly culminated in a fatal fight and Republican policies concerning bathroom use.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), for instance, suggested that the girl died from a "brutal assault" and that the "anti-trans fervor fueled by extreme Republicans across the country is having deadly consequences for our children."
Tori Cooper, a leading campaigner for the LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign, intimated Benedict was attacked over her "nonbinary" identification. Cooper also pinned blame on so-called "[e]xremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate accounts, like online troll Chaya Raichick, the woman behind 'Libs of Tiktok'" for "perpetuating a vile and hateful narrative that is permitting these types of public attacks."
Dagny Benedict died under circumstances that got the woke riled up.
Bodycam footage released Friday by the Owasso Police Department shows Benedict readily admit that she was not the target of violence but rather the initiator of the altercation.
When detailing the alleged bullying a trio of freshman girls subjected her to, Benedict says in the video that they mocked her clothing choice and laughed — making no mention of any anti-LGBT hostilities.
Police have since indicated that Benedict "did not die as a result of trauma," releasing security footage showing Benedict leave the school under her "own power."
Dagny Benedict even admits being the aggressor.
"I was talking to my friend. They were talking with their friends, and we were laughing, and they had said something like, 'Why do they laugh like that?'" Benedict told the officer. "And they were talking about us in front of us. And so I went up there and poured water on them."
Benedict confirmed to the officer that she had used a water bottle to soak the other girls who in turn allegedly responded with force.
"They came at me. They grabbed at my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser, and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground," continued Benedict.
The officer suggested that by virtue of Benedict having allegedly started the fight, pressing charges might not have resulted in a cut-and-clear victory.
Dagny Benedict died the next day.
The next day, Owasso Fire Department medics were called to the scene of a medical emergency involving Benedict.
Sue Benedict noted in her 911 call that the teen's eyes were rolled backward, she was breathing shallowly, and both her hands were curled. Sue Benedict also made passing mention of the use of anxiety medication but suggested the teen was not on any medication at the moment.
The teen was taken to St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Center in Tulsa where she later died. Her funeral was held on Feb. 15.
