A 16-year-old girl died Thursday after she was assaulted in a high school bathroom in Wilmington, Del., authorities said.
A fight among several female students broke out at about 8:15 a.m. Thursday in a girls’ bathroom at Wilmington’s Howard High School of Technology, according to school officials. No weapons were involved, but the 16-year-old sophomore sustained serious injuries and was taken by helicopter to A.I. duPont Hospital in Wilmington, where she died.
The name of the deceased student has not been released. School officials said that two other female students were involved in the incident and both are being questioned by Wilmington police.
“We are shaken but stand ready to provide support and care to the family, to Howard students and staff, and to all of those affected by this act of senseless violence. We ask that you do the same,” officials with New Castle County Vo-Tech School District said in a statement. “This is not only an unspeakable tragedy for her family, but also for the school, and the entire community.”
A student cries in front of Howard High School of Technology on Thursday. (Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP)
Howard students were kept in their classrooms until school was dismissed early, at 10:15 a.m.
Howard students told WPVI-TV, a Philadelphia station, that the fight was over a boy. One student told the station that she was in the bathroom when the fight began:
“She was fighting a girl, and then that’s when all these other girls started banking her — like jumping her — and she hit her head on the sink,” the student said.
Wilmington police said in a statement that homicide detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.
Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams’ voice shook at a press conference Thursday.
“I am so upset that a young lady lost her life today. Things like this shouldn’t happen,” Williams said. “My heart bleeds for the family, kids who go to this school and the administrators, and our city.”
Mayor Dennis Williams speaks at a news conference at Howard High School of Technology on Thursday, April 21, 2016, in Wilmington, Del. A city official said a student died after a confrontation at the high school. (Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP)
Wow sad on so many levels smh ….
This jumping thing is getting out of hand.
Oh no this is sad
Nuff likkle young youth dead from dis jumping from wah day
Time to start lock up dem Likkle gyal who can’t hear. Imagine ppl send them to school to go learn n dem der a fight over Likkle boy. I tell u about these young children look like dem don’t have not one ounce of sense. Just a waste of ppl money n time.