Boy, 13, dies from injuries from alleged bullying attack in Southern California middle school

Author: CBS News Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Diego, 13, in undated family photo (CBS LOS ANGELES)

A 13-year-old boy whose head struck a concrete pillar after he was punched by another boy at a middle school here has died from his injuries, CBS Los Angeles reports. The attack was caught on video.

A vigil in his memory turned tense and drove a school official to stay inside the locked school, guarded by deputies. The boy, identified only as Diego, was pronounced clinically dead Tuesday night as a result of the injuries he sustained in a Sept. 16 attack, according to a Facebook post from the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station.

His family plans to donate Diego’s organs “to transform this tragedy into the gift of life for other children.”

A vigil was held Wednesday night at Landmark Middle School in Moreno Valley, where Diego was a student. But grief turned to anger when Moreno Valley Unified Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora arrived.

“We are here for Diego,” one girl said through tears. “Diego lost his life today. Diego’s not here no more.”

Hundreds of parents and students were at the vigil in the city some 63 miles west of Los Angeles. It was marked by a small candlelit memorial at the gates of the school.

“What did the school district do? Nothing,” one woman remarked. “What did the school district do a week before, when the mother came pleading for her son’s life? They did nothing. Where is the superintendent?”

Kedziora addressed the mourners briefly, saying his goal is to work with community members and support them, but some in the crowd questioned his sincerity.

“We are the community, and you’re not working with us,” one woman said. “We are the community.”

Others said Kedziora should resign for what they said was a lack of action to curb an ongoing problem with bullying.

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