Kaylee Gain, a 16-year-old student from Missouri who was attacked by other teens earlier this month, is still critically injured and unconscious more than one week after the harsh beating, according to a statement from the family’s lawyer.
Gain was attacked in St. Louis, Mo., on March 8 near Hazelwood East High School.
The fight, captured in a now-viral video, shows Gain being shoved to the ground and punched repeatedly in the head by another girl. When Gain, who is still fighting the other teen, attempts to sit up on the pavement, she is pushed to the ground again. The teen in the video is seen repeatedly smashing Gain’s head against the asphalt.
Around the girls, several other teenagers can also be seen fighting, or spectating.
Gain was left shaking on the pavement until police arrived. (Global News has viewed the video but has opted to not include here due its disturbing content, as well as the age of the participants.)
Bryan Kaemmerer, a lawyer for the Gain family, said Gain suffered a fractured skull that resulted in brain bleeding and swelling, local affiliate KSDK reported on Monday.
The full extent of Gain’s injuries cannot be determined until she regains consciousness. Gain’s family remains at her side in hospital, Kaemmerer said.
Video of the fight was posted online and shared by thousands of viewers. The circumstances surrounding the fight — including why it occurred in the first place — are still unclear.
The St. Louis County Police Department said they arrested an unnamed 15-year-old female juvenile suspect on March 9. The 15-year-old is being held by the St. Louis County Family Court on assault charges related to the fight.
The investigation is ongoing.
In a statement, Gain’s parents condemned physical violence and bullying. It is not yet clear if Gain was being bullied, or was a bully, prior to the attack.
“Kaylee’s parents want to make a special request to their fellow parents in the community to ask them to reinforce to their children that physical violence and bullying are never appropriate, and to emphasize to their children that lives of both the perpetrators of teen violence and the victims of violence can be permanently and forever changed as a result of violent incidents that last only a few minutes,” the statement reads.
“Although the family would like justice to eventually be served through the legal system, their focus at this time is dedicated exclusively to Kaylee’s recovery,” the statement continues.
John O’Sullivan, director of communication for the St. Louis County Courts, said it is too early to determine if the arrested 15-year-old will be tried as an adult. Regardless, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has already called for the teen to be tried as an adult and charged with murder, should the incident become a homicide.
Bailey called the incident “evil” and a “complete disregard for human life.”
Gregory Smith, a lawyer representing the 15-year-old suspect, described the teen as an honour roll student who played in the school’s orchestra and on the volleyball team.
“I believe all of the facts and circumstances of this incident are not appropriate to discuss at this time when another child is in such a critical condition,” Smith wrote in a statement to KSDK. “Those facts and circumstances will have their day in court. I join the call to denounce teen violence and bullying. And most importantly, I join my client and her family in extending our prayers for this family and their child.”
A GoFundMe established for Gain has raised over US$363,000 (about C$492,200) for the teenager’s medical expenses, as of this writing.
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