A South Carolina fifth-grader died on Wednesday, following a fight just two days prior in her elementary school classroom.
According to the Post and Courier, the small community is now left in shock and outrage as they try to figure out what exactly happened to Raniya Wright at the Forest Hills Elementary School.
The report notes that both school and law enforcement officials have remained quiet on the details surrounding the tragic incident, offering no clarification.
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Raniya’s mother, Ashley Wright, who had been sharing photos of her daughter on Facebook,
shared one particular image of Raniya, her face obscured behind various hospital equipment with the caption “This is what bullying cause [sic], stay woke PARENTS.”
According to the
Post and Courier, the Colleton County School District confirmed on Wednesday that the fight started on March 25 in a fifth-grade classroom at Forest Hills Elementary. A student, the statement read, “suffered injuries after a fight occurred in her classroom. School administrators promptly secured the scene, ended the fight and called emergency medical services to the school.”
Raniya was reportedly in the nurse’s station at the school when authorities responded. She was “unconscious but breathing.”
People notes that no weapons were involved in the incident, with a Colleton County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson telling the site that it was a “physical altercation.”
“I have a lot to say,” Ashley Wright told the
Post and Courier. “I just have to wrap my head around it all.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning to determine the young child’s cause of death.
The other fifth-grader who was involved in the fight with Raniya has not been identified, but was suspended, school district officials confirmed. There have been no charges filed in connection with Raniya’s death as of Wednesday evening.
The school district released a prepared statement calling Raniya “a wonderful student.”
“She loved to write, spend time with her friends, play basketball and loved being a big sister,” the statement read. “She was actively involved in her church as a junior usher. She will be missed greatly by her family, friends and the entire school community.”
Meanwhile, members of the community are still demanding answers.
“How in the hell does this happen in an elementary school?” State Rep. Justin Bamberg said Wednesday. “When a little girl dies after a fight, it really makes you question what type of leadership is going on there and what are the adults doing.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched on behalf of Wright, raising more than $42,000 to help with medical expenses. However, now the mother has to plan a funeral.
