Black Lives Matter activist kills self outside Ohio Statehouse, police say

McCarrel had been active in protests over the use of deadly force by police, and organized local demonstrations over the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

The Pursuing Our Dreams Facebook page posted a message in McCarrell’s honor Monday.

McCarrel’s mother, Leatha Wellington, along with his twin brother, MarQuan McCarrel, told the Dispatch that he was prone to putting others-especially causes that he believed in strongly, like the #BlackLivesMatter movement-before himself and his health. Just hours before Marshawn McCarrel’s death he posted on Facebook, “My demons won today”. He founded a youth mentorship program called Pursuing Our Dreams, as well as Feed the Streets, a project to help the homeless in his area. “I’m sorry”, he wrote that afternoon on his social media page. Authorities say nobody saw the shooting, but McCarrel was seen on Statehouse grounds just before the gunshot.

Earlier this year, McCarrel was named one of Radio One’s Hometown Champions for his community activism. McCarrel was homeless for several months after graduating high school. It was one of those life experiences which had a profound impact on the young man. It inspired him to help others. There were no witnesses to the suicide, authorities told the Columbus Dispatch. “That’s a human being”.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help support McCarrel’s family.