Student in critical condition after brutal beating outside of Missouri school; 15-year-old charged

A female student suffered severe head injuries after she was beaten by another student outside of a Missouri high school on Friday.

The fight occurred sometime around 2:30 p.m. a few blocks from Hazelwood East High School, according to the St. Louis County Police Department.

Police say they found a teenage girl suffering from a severe head injury upon arrival.

The victim, identified as a student named Kailee, was taken to the hospital where she remains in critical condition, according to The Post Millennial. 

The altercation, captured in a graphic video, depicts Kailee being thrown to the ground by another female student. Then the assailant pummeled Kailee’s face before slamming her head onto the concrete pavement several times, leaving the victim unconscious. 

Kailee’s unconscious body appears to convulse as a group of students begins to fight around her, the video shows. 

“It is a tragedy anytime children are hurt,” The Hazelwood School District in a statement. “Bullying and fighting in the community is an issue for which we all need to take ownership and work towards a resolution for the sake of our children.” 

On Saturday, a 15-year-old girl was arrested on assault charges related to the incident, according to Vera Clay, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis County Police Department.  

Sunday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for the suspect to be charged as adult. 

“This evil and complete disregard for human life has no place in Missouri, or anywhere,” he wrote on X. “I am praying for the victim. The criminal should be charged and tried as an adult. If the victim dies, that offense should rise to a homicide.” 

While the fight took place off school grounds, some are concerned that the removal of resource officers from schools has led to an increase of violence. 

In 2021, the Hazelwood Board of Education voted to remove all school resource officers after the police department refused the district’s request to train officers in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  

“[W]e believe that our officers receive training that is more than adequate and addresses the critical matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the police department wrote in a letter. 

Parents reportedly warned the board that removing SRO “was a bad idea” as fights occur at the school daily. 

The victim in Friday’s fight was still listed in critical condition on Sunday.