The parents of a child, who was brutally beaten in a fight that took place on his school’s campus, have made the decision to donate the boy’s organs after he was declared brain dead.
As the Riverside County, California Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, the 13-year-old known only by his first name, Diego, was “pronounced clinically dead” after “rigorous medical intervention and treatment efforts at an area hospital were unsuccessful.”
#LandmarkMiddleSchool9/25/16 – FINAL UPDATE: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is saddened to share the…
Posted by Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, 19 September 2019
The fight that claimed the 13-year-old’s life occurred on September 16. According to Fox 11, a video of the brawl was shared on social media before it was later taken down.
As Fox 11 reports, the video showed one teenager punch Diego, before another teenager followed suit. The second punch caused Diego’s head to hit a concrete pillar and fall to the ground. One of the two teenagers who attacked Diego then hit the 13-year-old a third time as he laid on the ground before running away.
The two teens involved in the deadly fight have since been apprehended and are currently being held in a juvenile detention center. Formal charges have not yet been made.
Now, Diego’s parents are making arrangements to have his organ’s donated. As the sheriff’s department said in the statement, the parents made this decision in an attempt to turn their tragedy into someone else’s gift:
“Preparations by Diego’s family are underway for organ donation to transform this tragedy into the gift of life for other children.”
According to Fox 11, Diego’s parents allegedly warned the school that Diego was being bullied. But sources say school officials reportedly did nothing about it. Other parents of children who attend the middle school have remained outraged since the fight.
And at a meeting following the brawl, parents said their children received the same treatment. The statement continued:
The Sheriff’s Department joins the community in mourning the loss of this young man. The two suspects previously arrested for the assault which led to Diego’s death remain in the custody of Riverside County Juvenile Hall, facing prosecution for this assault. Due to the age of the involved parties, no further details regarding this incident will be publicly released at this time.
Before asking anyone with any information regarding the fight to contact Investigator Joshua Manjarrez at 951-955-2777 or John Tometich at 951-486-6700, the department sent a warning out to the members of their Riverside County community:
“Violence in the communities served by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will not be tolerated, especially involving our youth.”