13-year-old girl on life support 2 days after fight near middle school
HOUSTON (KTRK/CNN) – A 13-year old girl is on life support at Texas Children’s Hospital two days after a fight near her Houston middle school.
Mamie Jackson told KTRK-TV that two girls attacked her daughter, Kashala Francis, after school on Thursday. The mom said a third girl later jumped in the fight and kicked Kashala in the head.
Jackson said it happened down the street from Attucks Middle School, where her daughter attends. When Kashala came home, she had a bruise on her face but insisted she was okay, the mother said.
By Sunday, Kashala became weak and complained to her mother about a painful headache.
“I told her to get up. I said ‘Get up, Kashala.’ She kept saying, ‘Mama, my head hurt,’ so she laid down,” Jackson said.
That was the last time she saw her daughter’s eyes open. Jackson said by the time first responders arrived the 13-year-old was unconscious. They rushed her to Texas Children’s Hospital, where she is fighting for her life.
“We found out she has a large tumor in the back of her head, and she had fluid buildup in her brain,” Jackson said.
The tumor was unbeknownst to the family before doctors discovered it Sunday. It’s too early to tell whether the fight contributed to Kashala’s declining health or if this was solely a pre-existing medical condition.
Houston police are investigating the fight, and the Houston Independent School District said it’s cooperating with the investigation.
“The district is aware that several Attucks Middle School students were involved in an off-campus altercation on Thursday,” HISD said in a statement. “HISD is gathering information and cooperating with the Houston Police Department in its investigation.”