Shaylee Mejia’s mother has hit out at police who claim her daughter died from injuries after falling down the stairs, and not after being attacked at school.
Shaylee Mejia, 16, collapsed in a bathroom at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles just days after being attacked.
Video of the March 5 incident shows the teenage girl dragging her hair and hitting her head on a stall before falling.
Mejia’s mother Maria Juarez and her attorney Luis Carrillo said ABC7 that they believe her death was the result of the injury she received during the fight.
Police said they responded to a March 9 incident 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 in a bathroom at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles just days after being attacked
Mejia’s mother Maria Juarez and her attorney Luis Carrillo told ABC7 they believe her death was a result of the injury she suffered during the fight.
Mejia (right) was at a party a few 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 attend school before going to the party the following Saturday.
Mejia suffered a hemorrhage due to a brain injury and collapsed while at 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 attend school before going to the party the following Saturday.
Juarez, a single mother of two, told the newspaper: “(She was) very obedient, a very good daughter, a very good sister. I just ask for justice.
“Because when I got to 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 captured on video by other students and shows the young girl being brutally beaten as others watch.
Mejia said her daughter suffered from headaches in the days after the horrific attack but still attended school
Mejia’s official cause of death has not yet been determined and an investigation is underway.
Juarez, a housekeeper and the family’s sole breadwinner, alleged that her daughter was bullied for months and that school officials failed to stop it.
The teenage girl joined Manual Arts High about eight months ago when she moved into a new apartment with her mother and younger brother.
After several months at school, the mother said her daughter came home with bruises all over her body, which she believed were due to other fights.
Juarez took photos of the injuries to show school officials and campus police, but claims nothing was done about the matter.
She added that her daughter continued to be targeted by bullies and several attacks were caught on camera.
Alejandro Macias, principal of Manual Arts High School, said: “Although this tragic incident occurred outside of school hours and off campus, our sincere 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 condolences to those affected by this loss, including the student’s family, friends and teachers.
“Although this tragic incident occurred outside of school hours and off campus, our sincere thoughts remain with those affected by this loss.”
Carrilo told the outlet, “The abuse did not take place off campus, the abuse took place at Manual Arts High School where these inept administrators failed to protect her daughter.”
Juarez and Carrilo are now waiting for the teens’ autopsy reports.
a GoFundMe page was created to help Mejia’s family with funeral expenses.
‘We are trying to save money to help Shay’s mother with funeral expenses, anything helps, please help us put Shaylee to rest. Her death was deeply tragic for many of us,” it said.