A 13-year-old girl has passed away after spending several days on life support, her family said.
Kashala Francis was placed on life support on April 21.
On a Facebook page created for donations, Kashala’s family said that she was pronounced dead.
“After multiple surgeries, the doctors stated that there is nothing they can do for Kashala and she has been pronounced this dead this morning,” her family said.
Kashala was near her school, Attucks Middle School in Houston, on April 18 when she was attacked by two girls, she told her mother, Mamie Jackson. A third girl later kicked her in the head.
13-year-old on life support after fight outside middle school https://t.co/W8ea7NvDDY pic.twitter.com/Rf55Mam6ff
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) April 24, 2019
Jackson told KTRK that her daughter returned home after the attack and had a bruise on her face but insisted she was fine. Two days later, her daughter was at a relative’s house and appeared to become delusional. The day after that, Kashala became weak and lay down, and by the time first responders arrived, she was unconscious.
“We found out she has a large tumor in the back of her head, and she had fluid buildup in her brain,” Jackson said.
The girl was treated at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Following the death, Kashala’s family asked for support.
“Therefore, we ask for your support during this travesty. Community and support is everything in such tragic events. We come together to help each other out and support one another. When life happens, we happen too,” it added.
The fundraiser has raised over $4,500 from 139 people in two days. It has a goal of $10,000.
In a statement to KTRK, the Houston Independent School District said: “The district is aware that several Attucks Middle School students were involved in an off-campus altercation on Thursday. HISD is gathering information and cooperating with the Houston Police Department in its investigation.”
Classmates Paint Violent Picture
Meanwhile, classmates of Raniya Wright, the South Carolina 5th grader who died in March after a classroom fight, said that the brawl was violent, contradicting the descriptions of officials.
Investigators said on April 19 that Raniya died when an unknown condition, known as arteriovenous malformation, or a tangling of blood vessels, caused a rupture in her brain. They said her death was from natural causes, not the fight.
But classmates painted a different picture.
In written statements provided to law enforcement officials, the classmates said that Raniya, 10, was punched repeatedly and thrown into a bookshelf, reported WIS.
After she was separated from the other student, she was taken to the principal’s office. She complained of dizziness and a headache, prompting staffers to carry her to the nurse’s office, where she vomited and became unresponsive.
Officials claimed that the fight was brief and only consisted of slapping.
While 14th Circuit Solicitor said that a forensic pathologist determined Wright’s death was natural and an autopsy four days after the fight revealed no visible signs of trauma, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said that whether or not the injury will present itself during an autopsy depends on the severity of the injury.
“If you get punched and it breaks your nose, obviously you’re going to see that,” Watts said. “If you get punched and it’s very superficial, there’s no bruising or anything like that—then it’s not going to show up.”
