Teen dies from brain injuries she sustained during fight with bully

Thursday, March 21, 2024 – A California teen girl died from injuries she sustained during a fight with a bully inside a bathroom that was caught on camera at a Los Angeles-area high school earlier this month.

Shaylee Mejia, 16, suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage that was reportedly linked to several severe fights she was involved in at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, her anguished mother, Maria Juarez, told KTLA.

During the suspected fatal brawl on March 5, Mejia was seen hitting her head on a bathroom stall before falling to the floor. The teen complained about a headache but still attended classes for several days, her mother said.

Four days after the fight, Mejia attended a party where she fainted and a friend rushed her to the hospital.

She remained unconscious until her death on March 15.

Doctors say Mejia suffered a fatal haemorrhage resulting from a brain injury, according to the outlet.

Juarez, a single mom of two, claimed Mejia often returned home covered in bruises after she enrolled at the public school in south LA eight months ago.

The distraught mother allegedly took pictures and documented her daughter’s injuries to report them to school officials and campus police, but her pleas for help reportedly went unheard, according to KTLA.

Juarez, a housekeeper and sole provider for her family, said she only learned about the March 5 fight after her daughter’s death. The grieving mother blamed the tragedy on the school after she reported the videos to the officials and claimed nothing was done with the bullies.

“Everybody knows about my daughter hitting her head, the teachers too,” Juarez told the outlet. “Everybody knows.”

An official cause of death has not yet been made, and an investigation is ongoing.

Part of the investigation will examine claims that Mejia had fallen down a flight of stairs.

“I am saddened to report the recent death of one of our students off campus. On behalf of our entire school community, I want to offer my deepest condolences to those who are impacted by this loss, including the student’s family, friends, and teachers,” Manual Arts High School principal Alejandro Macias said in a statement obtained by KTLA.

Mejia’s brawl occurred days before 16-year-old teen Kaylee Gain was severely injured during a high school fight. Gain’s head was repeatedly pounded on the pavement in the March 8 assault near Hazelwood East High School in Spanish Lake, Mo., outside St. Louis. She suffered a fractured skull, resulting in life-threatening brain swelling and bleeding, and has not regained consciousness, according to a statement shared by the family attorney on Monday, March 18.