Community leaders speak on fight near Hazelwood East High School
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A student is now in custody as a Hazelwood East High School student is clinging to life.
Due to the graphic nature of the video, FOX 2 is not showing the disturbing scene. The fight occurred near the school in the area of Norgate and Claudine Drives shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Police said the victim is suffering from severe head injuries.
Community leaders throughout St. Louis are calling for the violence to end. James Clark from the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis said the video was heartbreaking.
“It’s one of those videos that you wish you can unsee, I could not watch it more than one time,” he said. “We have to scale up our efforts… and challenge (younger people) to become leaders in their generation so we can bring an end to this dysfunctional behavior.”
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The Hazelwood School District provided a statement, saying:
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. The Hazelwood School District offers our sincerest condolences to everyone involved, and will offer additional emotional support from our support and crisis team to those in need. We look forward to continuing to partner with our community for the sake of our children. Please be kind and respectful of the families involved during this difficult time and pledge to help work toward the betterment of our entire community.
Hazelwood School District
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell also commented on the matter, sharing on social media, “This is sickening and so difficult to watch…we pray the victim makes a full recovery. This is just heartbreaking.”
A student who wishes to remain anonymous wants the violence to end.
“Fighting is not always a good idea…(I hope) justice is found,” they said.
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