RaNiya Wright death: Too early to determine if charges will be filed in 5th grader's death, officials say
South Carolina officials said Friday it was too early to determine if there would be charges filed in the death of a fifth grader who died earlier this week from injuries suffered in a fight at school. The 14th Circuit Solicitor and the Colleton County Sheriff said it could take weeks for RaNiya Wright's autopsy to be completed, CBS Charleston affiliate WCSC reports.
RaNiya, 10, died two days after the classroom fight Monday left her with serious injuries at Forest Hills Elementary School. A police report stated RaNiya was found "unconscious but breathing" at the school and she was rushed to the hospital.
In a statement on Friday, attorney's for RaNiya's family said they were seeking answers to how the children were supervised and "what, if any, steps did school administrators take to intervene in the fight."
Colleton County Sheriff R.A. Strickland said Friday there is "no timetable" to the investigation.
"We expect some aspects to take several weeks," Strickland said. "We will do whatever is necessary and take as much time as necessary to ensure a thorough investigation. We will disclose our findings and all test results at the appropriate time."
Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said that after the results of tests performed during the autopsy are complete and the investigation is finished, the results will first be shared with RaNiya's family and then with the public.
The school district said the other fifth grader involved has been suspended.
The district's school discussed details of the fight in an executive session of a special meeting Thursday, WCSC reports. School board members emerged from the two-and-a-half hour closed-door meeting with prepared statements.
The district's school board held a special meeting Thursday during which board members learned details about the fight while they were in executive session, WCSC reports. They emerged from that closed-door meeting some two-and-a-half hours later and read prepared statements.
"I want to ensure our entire community that we are taking this incident very seriously and cooperating fully with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office," district superintendent Franklin Fuller said.
RaNiya's mother, Ash Wright, posted a picture on Facebook from her daughter's hospital room, saying, "this is what bullying cause(s)… still unresponsive at this time… keep the prayers coming."
