Shaylee Mejia’s mother has hit out at police who claim her daughter died from injuries suffered after falling and not from being attacked at school.
Shaylee Mejia, 16, collapsed days after she was attacked inside a bathroom at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.
Video of the March 5 incident shows the teenage girl having her hair pulled and hitting her head on a stall before falling down.
This was told by Mejia’s mother Maria Juarez and her lawyer Luis Carrillo ABC7 that they believe that her death occurred as a result of the injury in the fight.
Police have said they responded to an incident on March 9 in which a person fell down a flight of stairs, but the two say Meija passed out as a result of the earlier fight and there were no stairs.
Shaylee Mejia, 16, collapsed days after she was attacked inside a bathroom at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles
Mejia’s mother Maria Juarez and her attorney Luis Carrillo told ABC7 they believe her death is due to the injury sustained in the fight.
Mejia (right) was at a party days after the attack when she collapsed and was rushed to hospital. She never regained consciousness
Juarez said her daughter complained of headaches for days but continued to go to school before going to the party the following Saturday.
Mejia suffered a hemorrhage due to brain damage and collapsed during the party.
She was rushed to hospital but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead on March 15.
Juarez said her daughter complained of headaches for days but continued to go to school before going to the party the following Saturday.
Juarez, a single mother of two, told the broadcast: ‘(She was) very obedient, a very good daughter, a very good sister. I’m just asking for justice.
‘Because when I arrived at the hospital they told me she had multiple brain injuries.’
Mejia didn’t tell her mother about the fight because she didn’t want her to worry or take time off work.
The incident was caught on video by other students, and it shows the young girl being brutally beaten while others look on.
Mejia said her daughter suffered from headaches in the days following the horrific attack, but she still attended school
The official cause of Mejia’s death has not been determined and an investigation is ongoing.
Juarez, a housekeeper and the family’s sole breadwinner, claimed her daughter had been bullied for months and school officials failed to stop it.
The teenage girl came to Manual Arts High about eight months ago when she moved into a new apartment with her mother and younger brother.
After several months at the school, the mother said her daughter started coming home with bruises all over her body, which she believed were from other fights.
Juarez took pictures of the damage to show school officials and campus police, but claims nothing was done about the problem.
She added that her daughter continued to face bullies and several attacks were caught on camera.
Manual Arts High School Principal Alejandro Macias said, “While this tragic incident occurred outside of school hours and off campus, our heartfelt thoughts remain with those affected by this loss”
Manual Arts High School principal Alejandro Macias said: ‘I am saddened to report the recent off-campus death of one of our students.
‘On behalf of our entire school community, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to those affected by this loss, including the student’s family, friends and teachers.
“While this tragic incident occurred outside of school hours and off campus, our heartfelt thoughts remain with those affected by this loss.”
Carrilo told the outlet: ‘The prizes weren’t off campus, the beatings were at Manual Arts High School where these inept administrators didn’t protect her daughter.’
Juarez and Carrilo are now awaiting the teenagers’ autopsy report.
ONE GoFundMe page has been set up to help Mejia’s family with funeral costs.
“We are trying to save money to help Shay’s mum with the funeral expenses, whatever helps, please help us lay Shaylee to rest, her death was very tragic for many of us,” it said.