Attorney of University of Idaho senior beaten in February urges action

University of Idaho civil engineering student Timmy Reed was beaten back in February by a group of 40-50 people wearing masks and wielding PVC pipes, some of whom were apparent football players, his attorney Tim Gresback said on Wednesday.

Reed sustained a black eye, a fractured nose and a concussion from being knocked unconscious after his head hit asphalt.

“This young man was so addled with fear … He slept with a knife under his pillow,” Gresback said. “He has cooperated with the university’s investigation and appeared for a police interview. He has nothing to hide. The Reed family doesn’t want this to be swept under the rug.”

On Feb. 10, Moscow Police responded near campus just before 11 p.m. because of a “large fight” with multiple people, according to a dispatch report. Moscow Police Capt. Tyson Berrett previously said witnesses reported many of the people involved were football players.

The fight took place at a party with nearly 100 people attending, Berrett said. Two or three students were treated by EMTs at the scene.

Gresback said that Reed, a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, asked the group to leave his home, where the party was taking place. When they did not leave, Reed was punched, Gresback said. The attorney believes the incident stemmed from an altercation where a member of his fraternity “had a tussle” with a football player weeks prior.

“The reason we are here today is because Timmy and his parents don’t want any Vandals to go through what they have gone through,” Gresback said at a news conference Wednesday.

He later added that rumors have flown around campus seeking to “justify” the alleged violence because people claimed racial slurs were thrown around that night. Gresback said that it is merely an attempt to change the narrative, and that “the Reed family does not talk that way.”

The attorney also said a “white player identified as the perpetrator” should not be the only one held accountable because the football culture at the school “tolerates violence but lacks leadership.”

No one has been publicly identified as a suspect in the fight, but Capt. Anthony Dahlinger with the Moscow Police Department told reporters Wednesday that the department is trying to “wrap things up soon.”

“The investigation is not done yet. We still have search warrants out,” Dahlinger said, adding that the search warrant process can take a long time.

UI spokesperson Jodi Walker wrote in a statement that the school cannot force students to participate in the school’s investigation, but those who are believed to be involved have been contacted. She encourages anyone with information to contact the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations. She said no disciplinary action has been taken against any student because the investigation is ongoing.

“We are disappointed violence seems to have been chosen and our thoughts go out to Tim Reed and his family,” Walker wrote. “…We will continue to look into this incident and the information provided by those participating in the investigation. Any time the safety of any of our students comes into question, we are deeply concerned and work to understand the facts and take action accordingly. We have faith in the Moscow Police Department to follow their processes of investigation.”

In the week following the fight, Dean of Students Blaine Eckles wrote to Reed in an email that the school opened an investigation and the incident was “a tumultuous event involving a lot of people,” and that the student was “on the receiving end of some physical altercations.”

“While I don’t know why this occurred, I want to make sure you are okay,” Eckles wrote , offering resources for mental health help.

Gresback voiced concern for how the school will handle the investigation since summer break is approaching and students will be leaving campus.

“The accountability clock will run out,” he said. “This evidence should be preserved. I hope they have taken those measures.”

Gresback then urged any witnesses to the fight to come forward and speak to law enforcement.

“The Reed family wonders, as do I, how the Vandal community can allow a culture like this to exist,” he said.

Reporter Ellen Dennis contributed to this story.

Alexandra Duggan can be reached at (509) 459-5469 or by email at alexandrad@spokesman.com.