New documents obtained by OU Daily reveal more details on the death of Joe Pal, a 23-year-old OU rugby player killed near Campus Corner in March.
The Norman Police Department responded to a reported physical altercation at 3:47 a.m. March 2 at a parking lot in the 300 block alley between McCullough Street and Boyd Street, just down the road from Campus Corner, according to a police report. Officers identified Joe Pal, who was found unconscious with severe brain trauma.
As of Friday, no arrests have been made in connection to Joe Pal’s death.
According to a report obtained by OU Daily Tuesday, the incident involved a white truck and was classified as a car jacking. A second report classified the incident as assault.
The car jacking report states three 21-year-old males and one 23-year-old male were at the scene when police arrived at 3:47 a.m. According to the report, an individual told police Joe Pal tried to take the vehicle. The individual got out of the truck and hit Joe Pal, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground, knocking him unconscious, according to the report.
The report states Joe Pal was unconscious but still breathing when emergency services arrived.
Amanda Pal, Joe Pal’s mother, told OU Daily Aug. 19 she has been given minimal information on the evening of her son's death and the events that led up to the assault.
“It's infuriating. It has made me doubt the justice system, it has made me doubt the ability of the (police department) in Norman,” Amanda Pal said. “I thought I was sending my son someplace safe. It was anything but safe.”
According to Amanda Pal, Joe Pal left Campus Corner on foot around midnight toward his home. Amanda Pal said his last known communication was to his friends over text around 12:30 a.m.
Amanda Pal said Joe Pal was recorded by convenience store security cameras walking back toward Campus Corner around 1 a.m. She said his whereabouts were unclear until about 3 a.m., when data on his smart watch showed his heart rate spike for a few minutes, then plummet to around 30 bpm.
“That’s when we figured that he lost consciousness,” Amanda Pal said.
Joe Pal sustained acute blunt force trauma to his head, resulting in bleeding, brain contusions and two skull fractures, according to his autopsy report. The report classifies his death as a homicide.
Two samples taken from Joe Pal around 4 a.m. at the hospital showed a blood alcohol level of 0.17% and 0.2%, respectively, according to the autopsy report. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%.
Amanda Pal said Joe Pal was a generous, kind person who would have done anything to help someone in need. She believes he may have been asking for a ride home, which escalated into the assault.
“He was an extremely generous kid, …” Amanda Pal said. “He would have given anyone a ride. He would have given anyone the coat off his back. He was the most unselfish person I know.”
NPD Public Information Officer Sarah Schettler wrote in an Aug. 18 email to OU Daily the department concluded its investigation and submitted the investigative report to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether any further action is necessary.
“The investigation involved extensive interviews with all involved parties and witnesses, a detailed review of medical records, and a thorough examination of the circumstances and events surrounding the incident,” Schettler wrote.
Merydith Harmon, Cleveland County first assistant district attorney, told OU Daily in an email Thursday the district attorney’s office will not publicly comment on the case until the office has discussed the review of the investigation with the Pal family.
Amanda Pal said she hopes someone with more information will come forward.
“I do believe that someplace out there, somebody has some information. They might have pictures, they might have video, somebody shared something,” Amanda Pal said. “I really need those people to be brave enough to come forward, even if it's their friends or their relatives.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ana Barboza and Thomas Pablo. Sophie Hemker and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
