Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Prairie View A&M student who collapsed Tuesday during an early morning run, school officials said.
Donnie Wade, a 20-year-old Biology major from Dallas, was running at a high school located about 9 miles from the college campus when he began experiencing difficulty, school officials said. He was taken to North Cypress Medical Center Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Wade was a prospective member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the pledging process was scheduled to begin Sunday, PVA&M spokeswoman Sheleah Hughes said.
"He was exercising. He was running. 'Why' is the question that has not been answered. Was it on his own free will? Was it part of the organization? Did they tell him to do it? That's what we don't know," Hughes told Click2Houston.com.
An autopsy will determine the cause of Wade's death while the circumstances of his death are being investigated by Prairie View A&M University Police.
"The entire Prairie View family is saddened by Donnie's death. He was an emerging leader and scholar who significantly contributed to the university community," said Prairie View A&M President George C. Wright. "We are deeply moved by his death and extend our condolences to his family and friends during their time of bereavement."
Wade graduated from Life High School in Oak Cliff. His funeral arrangements are pending.
