A South Carolina fifth grader succumbed to her injuries following a fight that broke out in a classroom of her elementary school.
According to ABC News 4, RaNiya Wright died on March 27 after a fight at her school that took place on Monday, March 25.
#BREAKING: A Walterboro 5th-grader severely injured in classroom fight Monday died Wednesday morning, family confirms. RaNiya Wright had been unresponsive and in critical condition at MUSC, family says.#chsnews pic.twitter.com/zatOAx98PI
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) March 27, 2019
The 10-year-old was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina from Forest Hills Elementary School after suffering serious injuries as a result of the brawl. At the time, she had been unconscious.
Wright’s family confirmed her passing on a GoFundMe page set up to help support her mother, Ashley Wright, with medical bills and funeral expenses.
The latest update on the GoFundMe thanked everyone who has offered a donation and prayers to Ashley during this difficult time:
…The mother will speak to everyone when she is ready. I would like to thank everyone that is donating and sending prayers and kind words, she is hearing them all.
Authorities have not yet released specifics regarding the fight or the specific injuries Wright sustained.
However, another student involved in the fight was suspended indefinitely from the elementary school, ABC News 4 reports.
Prior to deactivating its Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon, the school district wrote this statement:
We are devastated by this news, and we want our communities to keep their thoughts and prayers with the student’s family at this time.
Another statement issued by spokesperson Sean Gruber on behalf of superintendent Dr. Franklin Foster following Wright’s passing read, in part:
“Raniya was a wonderful student. She loved to write, spend time with her friends, play basketball and loved being a big sister. 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.”
According to ABC News 4, this isn’t the first issue Wright’s parents have had with the school district. Prior to the 10-year-old’s passing, the family settled a civil lawsuit with the school after a bus accident that left Wright with “minor injuries.
The investigation into the fight and what caused Wright’s death is still ongoing.
A special education teacher at the school, who wished to remain anonymous, told WCSC that she doesn’t believe “their children are safe,” adding the fight that claimed Wright’s life isn’t the first time she saw violence in the school.