Amid Fears, Grad Gives Upbeat Talk Via Video

A high school senior possibly targeted by death threats spoke to fellow graduates through a video hookup Friday, drawing a cheer when he appeared on a large screen set up on the football field.

Tyrone Lewis, 18, was barred from the ceremony at Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, Pa., because of the alleged threats, which police said stemmed from his sister’s testimony in a murder case.

The class president and a star athlete, Lewis gave his speech via video from a municipal building a few miles from the high school. A framed picture of him was placed on an empty chair among the graduates.

Lewis did not mention the circumstances of his brief speech, which was optimistic. He did, however, ask fellow graduates to remember his “friend and spiritual brother” Ahman Fralin, who was shot and paralyzed while driving with Lewis in April. Fralin was also barred from the ceremony.

“This is the big day we have all been waiting for,” Lewis told his classmates. “We have survived bomb threats, and police dogs patrolling the hallways. What really makes us a great school is the people in it. Live your lives in a positive way.”

He closed by telling his fellow graduates, “If times seem tough, don’t ever give up.”

When Lewis was done, the crowd of about 4,000 cheered and the ceremony continued.

Lewis’ sister, Rachael, testified in January against an alleged gang member from nearby Trenton, N.J., who is charged with murder. She was also charged in the shooting.

Police said the possible threats against Tyrone Lewis were considered credible partly because of the shots that hit his car in Bristol Township in April. Lewis was not injured.

The case remains unsolved, and police aren’t sure if Lewis was a target or it was a random crime.

Police and school district officials said that for Lewis’ own safety and the safety of others, he could not attend graduation.