Ron Barnett

USA TODAY

CLEMSON, S.C. — They came by the hundreds to Bowman Field on Tuesday night to light the historic heart of the Clemson campus with their cellphones, each point of light a reflection of the life of Tucker W. Hipps, their classmate whose body was found in Lake Hartwell a day earlier.

Tillman Hall tolled 19 bells — one for each year of life for the Piedmont, S.C., man.

Then, silence.

It was a day of grief, sadness and sometimes anger, as rumors swirled that his death may have resulted from a hazing incident.

Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said his investigators have not turned up evidence of hazing, although the investigation continues.

He added, "Whatever the circumstances were surrounding his death, we hope that the truth will come out, and come out quickly."

Brian Warren, CEO of Sigma Phi Epsilon, where Hipps was a member, said fraternity members would do all they could to help if foul play were involved.

The vigil, organized via social media, wasn't a university-sponsored event, but President James Clements presided over it with the dignity of a pastor, asking the students to pray for Hipps' parents in the loss of their only child and telling them it's OK to seek help from counselors if they need it.

"This is the kind of respect the Clemson family is all about," he said as students huddled in the cool night air.

He led the group in a solemn singing of the alma mater to close the vigil.

Earlier, Max Fleming, who attended Wren High School in Piedmont with Hipps and who attended the event, said Hipps was "like a ray of sunshine" to him at Palmetto Boys State, where Hipps was a counselor.

"That was the best experience of my life," he said.

"I'm really surprised about all the support he's gotten all across the state and all across the Southeast," Fleming said. "It just shows what a huge impact he had on people.

"It's definitely hard to take in, but I know he's in a better place now."

Earlier Tuesday, a county coroner said Hipps likely died of a head injury, falling from a bridge and hitting his head on a rock in shallow water.

Hipps had been participating in an early Monday run with Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity members and didn't return, Clemson officials said. Hipps wasn't at breakfast, so fraternity members began looking for him.

They contacted university police at about 1:45 p.m. ET Monday. Hipps' body was found less than two hours later in the water below the South Carolina 93 bridge over the Seneca River portion of Lake Hartwell, Oconee County Coroner Karl E. Addis said.

The injuries that Hipps sustained were consistent with his falling from one of the spans, 20 to 23 feet above the water surface, Addis said. Hipps' body was found in 4 to 5 feet of water where the lake bottom is formed with rip-rap rock.

No ruling on the manner of death has been made because of law enforcement's investigation and a toxicology analysis that could take several weeks, the coroner said.

Although speculation has suggested that hazing may have played a part in Hipps' death, so far evidence gathered in the investigation has not indicated that, Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said.

"We're terribly saddened by Tucker's death," said Gail DiSabatino, Clemson University vice president for student affairs. "It's always tragic when someone so young and promising is lost."

After Hipps' death, the 24 members of Clemson's Interfraternity Council voted to suspend what it called "education" activities for new members until further notice, university officials said.

"There are a lot of people who are hurting right now, and that's our No. 1 priority at the moment," Brian Warren, chief executive of SigEp's national office, said in a statement. "But if foul play was involved in any way, Tucker's fraternity will do everything it can to see that those responsible are brought to justice."

A representative of the fraternity's national office arrived Monday evening at Clemson, not only to help the university with grief counseling for students but also to help investigate the possibility of hazing.

"SigEp has a zero tolerance policy regarding hazing and is currently investigating these claims," Warren said.

In high school, Hipps was "one of those guys you could always count on," as a linebacker for his football team, the teen's former coach said Tuesday.

"When he played, he played hard and he gave great effort. He was always very coachable," said coach Jeff Tate of Wren High. "He always had a smile on his face. Not everybody is like that."

Hipps last played in 2012 on a team that won eight games; he graduated in 2013, Tate said. About 20 of the current members of the team played with him.

Students at Clemson and other colleges, including the University of South Carolina, Florida State and the University of Georgia are wearing orange to show support, according to posts on social media.

Ron Barnett also reports for the Greenville (S.C.) News.