The 15-year-old Missouri girl facing charges in connection to a fight that left another teen unconscious claims that she was “harassed and bullied” before the incident, her family is saying.
The incident happened near Hazelwood East High School on March 8. Viral cellphone footage shows two teens scuffling in the street while a crowd stands by. A few seconds into the video, one girl slams the other on the ground and starts punching her in the head repeatedly.
She then started to slam her head on the concrete, leaving her “convulsing” on the pavement. A brawl between other teens broke out steps away. According to the St. Louis Police Department, officers responded to the scene that afternoon after 2:30 p.m.
“Responding officers located a juvenile female suffering a severe head injury. The victim was transported to an area hospital where she remains in critical condition,” police said.
The alleged attacker, who hasn’t been publicly named by law enforcement, was taken into custody and charged with assault. St. Louis County Family Court is holding her, the department added. An investigation is underway.
The victim was identified as 16-year-old Kaylee Gain. Earlier this week, her family’s attorney, Bryan Kaemmerer, said Gain is still unconscious and has suffered severe injuries.
“The only medical information that the family feels comfortable sharing at this time is to confirm that Kaylee has suffered a fractured skull that resulted in brain bleeding and swelling,” Kaemmerer said. “The full scope and extent of Kaylee’s injuries and prognosis for recovery cannot be determined until, with God’s grace, she regains consciousness, and the family asks that you continue to keep Kaylee in your thoughts and prayers as she fights to recover.”
Loved ones created two fundraisers to help the Gain family with expenses. One raised nearly $400,000, while the other garnered close to $30,000.
According to the Daily Mail, the aunt of the 15-year-old juvenile who was arrested says that “she was defending herself” in the fight and called on local officials to “show compassion” in her case. She touted the child as an honor roll student who speaks several languages.
Her comments come after leaders have voiced their opinion about the attack. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said that the juvenile should be “tried as an adult” and that if Gain succumbs to her injuries, the “offense should rise to a homicide.”
The juvenile’s family started a Change.org petition, identifying the young Black girl as Maurnice DeClue. The family is concerned the incident is inciting “racial divisions and political strife,” adding that they have received a slew of death threats. They called on officials to be fair and consider restorative justice and rehabilitation.
“It is unjust that such an accomplished young woman should be charged as an adult for assault without considering all the facts of the case that led to the incident where harm occurred. We urge Chief Juvenile Officer Rick Gaines of the 21st Circuit Court not to charge [the juvenile] as an adult,” the petition said.
It continued: “We request that all aspects of her life be considered during indictment and sentencing – her academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, linguistic skills and most importantly her victimhood as a bullied student who was merely defending herself under intense and flight vs fight circumstances.”
The family also launched a GoFundMe to help with legal expenses, but the platform promptly took it down after $3,000 was raised. The funds are expected to be retained to the donors. GoFundMe claims the petition unfairly painted Gain as a bully and presumed she was the victim ‘in a complicated situation’.
A GoFundMe spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail that the “fundraiser was removed and all donors have been refunded. GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraising for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime.’
