Pierre Damas Bel, a Wright State freshman who had just started attending college days prior, died on Monday, August 31, 2026. The 20-year-old Haitian student, enrolled at Wright State University to study neuroscience with high hopes of carving out a future in the United States, met with a sudden tragedy. The circumstances surrounding his death have prompted his family, friends, and community to renew calls for immigration reform.
According to Bel's father, his son called him on Monday morning to report that he was facing severe stress due to bullying. "Dad, I'm not feeling okay. I'm not thinking right... because of the bullies," Bel told him, as reported by CBS affiliate 10WBNS. Upon hearing this, his father advised him to return home so they could resolve the issues. However, that was not to be; police later arrived at the family's home to inform them that their son had died after being struck by a truck on the I-70 highway.
Another distressing detail emerged as Bel's family and friends alleged that the final month of his life was marked by mounting distress after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed him on an electronic ankle monitor. ICE confirmed that Bel was fitted with the monitor on July 29 as his immigration proceedings moved forward. Bel's sister, Lamarre, revealed in an interview with 10TV that her brother had told her the device was painful and hindered his ability to play soccer. "He couldn't practise. He wanted people to see the reality of how someone who was following the rules was handicapped and paralysed by living life," Lamarre said.
Bel's family and friends contend that the ankle monitor subjected him to bullying on campus. While the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigates Bel's death, ICE has declined to comment on unverified claims regarding the circumstances leading up to the fatal traffic accident.