Billionaire Bill Ackman is a top donor who is backing a 15-year-old Missouri girl who suffered severe brain damage when another teen smashed her head into the concrete during a high school fight.
The hedge fund investor, 57, contributed $10,000 to one GoFundMe campaign in support of Kaylee Gain, DailyMail.com can reveal. His donation was confirmed by a partner at Pershing Square Capital Management, LP
The crowdfunding account, which raises money for medical bills and is intended to support the teen’s family while Gain “fights hard to stay alive,” has received more than $213,000 in donations in just two days.
Organizers say her loved ones are extremely grateful for the “overwhelming response,” which has “already brought the family to tears.”
Gain suffered a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage when her head was repeatedly slammed into the ground during a fight last Friday. She was left alone on the ground and suffered convulsions before emergency services arrived.
She has “major brain hemorrhages and swelling” and is in “critical condition,” her loved ones said. The family won’t know the full extent of the damage until she wakes up.
Billionaire Bill Ackman is a top donor backing 15-year-old Kaylee Gain (pictured), who suffered severe brain damage when another teen hit her head on the concrete during a high school fight
Hedge fund investor Bill Ackman, 57, (pictured in 2017) has contributed $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign in support of Kaylee Gain, a partner at Pershing Square Capital Management, LP confirmed to DailyMail.com
Kaylee Gain was brutally beaten by another teen last week (pictured). She is ‘fighting hard to stay alive’ after suffering brain damage in the horrific attack
Kaylee Gain suffered a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage last Friday when her head was repeatedly slammed into the ground during a fight (pictured) near her high school in St. Louis
A crowdfunding campaign to support Gain and her family has raised more than $213,000 in just two days. The photo shows Bill Ackman’s contribution to Kaylee Gain’s GoFundMe
The altercation broke out near Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis on Friday around 2:30 p.m.
A video of the incident circulated on social media, showing another girl slamming the teen’s head into the concrete after throwing multiple punches and throwing her to the ground.
Gain appeared to be having a fit as groups of other teens argued just a few feet away.
Police found the girl with serious head injuries near the intersection of Norgate Drive and Claudine Drive, about a five-minute walk from the high school campus. She was taken to hospital and remains in critical condition.
“Kaylee is fighting hard to stay alive and heal, but this is just the beginning of a very uphill battle for Kaylee and her family,” her loved ones shared on a crowdfunding page, adding, “the road to recovery will be extremely difficult are for the whole world. family, not only mentally but also financially.’
“Within minutes, this family’s life fell apart when their only daughter was attacked outside a North County high school,” the GoFundMe campaign said.
‘She was left alone on the ground and suffered convulsions before emergency services arrived on the scene. She was admitted to one of the local hospitals in Saint Louis with a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage.”
Gain’s “shocked and devastated” parents have remained by their daughter’s side “day and night” since he was admitted to hospital and “hope to return her to the Kaylee they know and love.”
Kaylee Gain (pictured) is fighting for life in critical condition, with a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage
A viral video shows another teen repeatedly hitting her head against the pavement before the victim appears to have a seizure
Police found the girl with serious head injuries near the intersection of Norgate Drive and Claudine Drive. The fight broke out just outside the campus of Hazelwood East High School
A statement attributed to her parents, and published at a second GoFundMe pagesaid: ‘We are so grateful for the amazing medical staff who worked tirelessly to give her the best possible chance for a full recovery.
‘We know she has a very long road ahead of her, but we remain hopeful. We are so overwhelmed by all the support and love.”
The teen’s grandparents confirmed this KSDK that both crowdfunding pages are legitimate and will be used to “help with the costs incurred by Gain’s injuries and parents’ lost wages” – as they have stayed by her side every day in the hospital.
A 15-year-old girl was arrested Saturday and charged with assault. She was arraigned in St. Louis County Family Court and remained in custody until Sunday afternoon.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey has called for the “evil” 15-year-old girl who smashed Gain’s head into the concrete to be “tried as an adult.”
Bailey announced on X: “This evil and complete disregard for human life has no place in Missouri, or anywhere else for that matter. I pray for the victim.
“The criminal should be charged and tried as an adult. If the victim dies, that crime should amount to murder.”
John O’Sullivan, director of communications for the St. Louis County Courts, told KSDK it is too early to determine whether the suspect will be tried as an adult.
He says a court hearing will take place within weeks.
The Hazelwood School District issued a statement denouncing bullying and fighting within the community
The teen’s “shocked and devastated” parents have remained by their daughter’s side “day and night” since he was admitted to hospital and “hope to return her to the Kaylee they know and love.”
Missouri attorney general calls for 15-year-old girl who bashed another teen’s head into concrete to be tried as an adult
After news of the altercation broke, the Hazelwood School District released a statement condemning the community violence.
“It is a tragedy when children are injured,” the statement read. “Bullying and fighting in the community is an issue that we must all take responsibility for and work to resolve for the sake of our children.
“The Hazelwood School District extends our sincere condolences to all involved and will provide additional emotional support from our support and crisis team to those in need.”
The statement urged community members to respect the families of those involved and “pledge to help work for the betterment of our entire community.”
The district recently came under fire for disenrolling more than three dozen high school students in late February and early March.
Jordyn Elston, director of public relations for the school district, said STLPR that the students were sent away because of ‘expired residence details’.
Of the forty students who received letters informing them of the district’s decision, thirty-eight students were re-enrolled within a week of providing the updated information, the district said.
The St. Louis County Police Department is investigating the incident.