GLENOLDEN, Pa. (AP) - A sixth-grader
who was injured in an altercation with another boy at school two months ago was
taken off life support and died, and on Monday his suburban school district made
extra counselors available to fellow students.
Bailey O'Neill, who had just turned 12, died Sunday morning, family
members said.
He had suffered a concussion, a
broken nose and other injuries during the encounter with the boy at Darby Township
School, in suburban Philadelphia, on Jan. 10. He later began
having seizures, and doctors induced a coma.
Bailey told his mother, Jina Risoldi, that
he had been at recess when the boy, who was taller, challenged him to a fight.
Risoldi said last month that her son
declined to fight, saying he was worried about being suspended. She said a boy
then pushed him from behind and he was struck in the head about five times.
"This is not a fight between
two boys," she said. "My son didn't fight back."
Risoldi said school security and a
teacher rushed in to break it up.
Bailey spent the rest of the day at
school, but over the following days he complained of severe headaches and
dizziness, began sleeping a lot and became irritable and confused, his mother
said.
"He had no problems before the
fight," Risoldi said last month. "He was always extremely healthy,
rarely got sick."
Bailey was an honor roll student who
served on the student council, and he enjoyed baseball and swimming.
His mother said the other boy had
challenged him to a fight earlier that week, and she had questions about
whether the school did enough to prevent the encounter.
She said school officials were aware
the boy had a history of bullying other children. She said the boy was
suspended and subsequently returned to class.
On Monday, District Attorney Jack
Whelan told the Delaware County Daily Times that he was waiting for autopsy
results and re-interviewing witnesses but considered charges to be likely.
Last month, police Deputy Chief
Brian Patterson told the newspaper what happened between Bailey and the other boy was a
"one-on-one altercation" and was captured on video surveillance. A
man who answered the phone late Monday at the Darby Township Police Department
said officers could be contacted on Tuesday for comment.
Southeast Delco School District
Superintendent Stephen D. Butz expressed condolences to Bailey's friends and
family.
(Copyright
2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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