A California mother is urging a school district to take more action after her 14-year-old son was attacked in his school’s locker room by a parent and four people wearing masks and hoodies.
Dublin Police are investigating an incident in which four individuals believed to be between the ages of 16 and 19 allegedly followed freshman football player Dasanni Goodspeed inside a locker room at Dublin High School and beat him.
Authorities say the attack happened right after the parent of another Dublin High student confronted Dasanni.
“The victim retreated into the boys’ locker room and was followed by the parent and four unknown subjects who were approximately 16 to 19 years of age,” Dublin Police wrote in a release about the Aug. 23 attack. “The four unknown subjects, who were wearing hoodies, reportedly assaulted the victim until the fight broke up, at which time, they fled the area.”
Dasanni and his mother spoke out about the moments leading up to the assault when the parent, accompanied by her daughter, first confronted him and called him the n-word.
“So while I’m outside, the mother says which one of you … she calls …” the freshman football player said to CBS News.
“‘N—ers.’ Say what she said,” Cherie Barfield interjected. “He just doesn’t want to say the word. That’s how the mother approached him. It’s on the surveillance film.”
Dasanni walked away into the locker room, but the parent and four other people followed behind him.
“These guys come into the locker room and ask, ‘Are you Dasanni? Are you Dasanni?’ One of the dudes sucker punches me. I stand up, I start fighting back, and they all start jumping me,” the 14-year-old said.
Dasanni suffered a broken nose, a black eye, and a concussion and was taken to a local hospital. He has since been released, but his mother says he’s still recovering from his wounds.
Police stated that this incident was not random and that school resource officers are still collecting video evidence and witness interviews to determine a motive.
The Dublin Unified School District released a statement detailing what measures school administrators have started implementing in the days since the assault.
“Following this incident, we have increased adult presence in the locker room area at Dublin High and adjusted access to this area of campus. We have asked Dublin PD to increase its presence on the campus. Site and district leadership will review physical security, safety procedures, staffing, reporting, and other security-related concerns. Counseling support is available on all campuses for those left feeling insecure or uneasy.”
Dublin High School Principal Maureen Byrne said she and other school officials “are outraged” at the incident.
Even though the school has started stepping up security, Dasanni’s mother expressed frustration over the school’s lack of communication with the family right after the attack happened.
“I just don’t appreciate how Dublin [High] did not contact us and how they’ve been trying to cover up this whole story. I feel like somebody dropped the ball. Somebody dropped the ball and a child was hurt,” Barfield said. “And we just want answers. We want justice.”
