(MOBILE, Ala.) Freshman Wesley Haynes knew slain college student Gil Collar... even had a class with him.
But he didn't have any idea that he had a connection that went beyond the college campus until moments after the fatal shooting.
It came in a phone call message from his mother.
"Wesley, it's mom. I need you to give me a call," the voice message began.
For Wesley Haynes, that one phone call turned this incident from a campus cause to a personal crusade.
"I understand there is a shooting at USA," his mother's message revealed. "And from what I understand, the kid that got killed? His name was Gil, I believe? He's your cousin."
"And that's how I found out," said Wesley.
Wesley joined more than 50 students who gathered to protest Saturday's fatal shooting of freshman Gil Collar, who sheriff's investigators now suspect was on LSD when he banged on the campus police station windows.
The protesters ranged from those who called the shooting "murder", to others who took more issue with officer training and equipment.
"We are not out here trying to be anti police or against the police," said student Taylor Boblin, "we're just trying to get them the right equipment and training so that something like this never happens again."
As for Wesley Haynes, learning Gil Collar was his cousin isn't the reason he's here.
His mind was made up even before that fateful phone call.
"I was going to be here, regardless, because, I mean, the cop shouldn't have shot him."
