VILLA RICA, Ga. — A 12-year-old girl is dead after she and another child got into a fight after getting off the school bus.
Villa Rica police are looking at cellphone video of the incident to see if any charges should be filed.
“She was loving, she was kind, she didn’t deserve this,” said her mother, Rashunda McClendon.
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She told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that her 12-year-old daughter Jada West should still be here. She says she should be planning a movie night with Jada and not a funeral.
“It’s gotta stop. It must stop. Violence has to stop,” she said.
It was Friday after school when the Mason Creek Middle School student got off the bus near her home.
Cellphone video shows her beefing with another group of kids. Jada and a girl then started fighting. It appears Jada took a hard fall, and started to lose consciousness.
One of Jada’s friends ran to tell her mother what happened.
“I got in the car and drove up there, and she was on the ground. She wasn’t breathing,” Rashunda McClendon said.
Jada was transported to the hospital.
“We got to Tanner [Medical Center], she was seizing then,” said Jada’s aunt, Dequala McClendon.
Jada suffered from cardiac heart failure and died the next day.
“Nobody tried to stop it. No one tried to call the police and stop it,” her mother sobbed.
Jada’s family says she was new to the area and had disputes with a boy and a girl, but they don’t know what sparked the fight.
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Her family wants justice, saying she was being bullied.
“And it’s not right that this little girl and the other kids get to go to school. My niece is not here anymore. My niece was in the hospital with a tube in her throat,” Dequala McClendon said.
Villa Rica police said they are investigating and will forward their results to the district attorney for review.
The Douglas County School System released a statement on Monday:
“We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. She will be remembered by her teachers, her classmates, and all who knew her.
The well-being of our students and staff is of primary importance to our school system. Any situation that results in harm to a child is one we take with the highest level of urgency.
This incident did not occur on school property or during school hours, and there is nothing to indicate that this is related to any on-campus activity. Therefore, this matter is under the jurisdiction of the Villa Rica Police Department.
To protect the privacy of the student and her family, we are not able to share additional details at this time."
The school district said it will have counselors available on Tuesday for students and staff.
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