HS student with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, use of just one arm brutally beaten by gang of teens at school, mom says: 'He couldn’t fight back even if he wanted to'



A Georgia mother is asking for criminal charges against a group of teens she said brutally beat up her son who suffers from cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and has the use of just one of his arms, WSB-TV reported.

What are the details?

The victim’s mother, who didn’t want to be identified, shared video of the attack with a WSB reporter, the station said.

The blurred clip shows a gang of students jumping on and pummeling the victim in a mob-like attack in the gymnasium of North Clayton High School, the station said. The school is located about 17 minutes south of Atlanta.

“He’s on the bleachers, in between the bleachers,” the mother told WSB. “Everybody is jumping, kicking, punch[ing] ... he has cerebral palsy, so he only uses one of his arms. So he couldn’t fight back even if he wanted to.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

She added to the station that the attack started after other students saw her son horsing around with a female friend, whom he accidentally scratched. The beating lasted several minutes, and she said her son suffered bruises and cuts on his face, WSB noted.

“His leg was injured ... he couldn’t walk out of the school yesterday,” she also told the station. “I had to almost carry him out to the car.”

The victim also suffered a serious epileptic seizure when he got home that his mother said lasted about three minutes and was likely related to the attack, WSB reported.

She added to the station the she saw no teachers anywhere near the mob-like attack.

“I heard a whistle on the video, but I didn't see a teacher in sight,” she told WSB. “One of his friends, a girl, she was breaking it up.”

Anything else?

The mom said the school's principal assured her that action would be taken against the students who attacked her son, the station said, adding that she nevertheless isn't planning on allowing him to return to the school due to what she saw on screen.

“It’s terrible,” she noted to WSB. “I can’t even watch the video anymore.”

The station said a Clayton County School District representative indicated that officials are investigating the incident and working with district police to address it.

Video shows group of teens brutally attack student with cerebral palsy in Clayton classroom | WSB-TVyoutu.be

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Dad wakes up to sound of glass breaking in young son's bedroom. So dad grabs gun, finds intruder in hallway, and opens fire.



A man told police he shot an intruder who broke into his Nashville apartment Tuesday morning, after which the intruder was taken to a hospital in critical condition, WTVF-TV reported.

What are the details?

Police said the man woke up to the sound of glass breaking in his young son's bedroom and near the front door of their apartment, the station reported, after which the father got his gun and opened his bedroom door.

Image source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

The dad saw an unknown man standing in the hallway of the apartment, WTVF said, adding that he shot at the man nine times, hitting him once in the jaw and neck area and possibly three times in the chest. Several bullets that missed traveled into the apartment across the hallway, the station added.

Officers responded to the call about the incident in the 3000 block of Andrew Jackson Way around 7:50 a.m., WTVF said.

What happened to the break-in suspect?

The still-unidentified break-in suspect was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, the station said, adding that he was unconscious, intubated, and in surgery. Police told WTVF it could take weeks for him to wake up, assuming he survives.

Act of self-defense

The father told police he has no connection to the suspect and fired at him in fear and self-defense, the station said, adding that investigators concur that the shooting was an act of self-defense. If that conclusion stands, the suspect would face burglary charges, WTVF added.

'I would've done the same thing for my family'

Peter Olson lives in the building adjacent to where the break-in and shooting took place, the station said. While he's worried about his children's safety and said bullets could have entered his apartment in a similar scenario, WTVF said, Olson defended the dad for protecting his son and himself.

Peter OlsonImage source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

"I hope that he does not do an hour of jail time because he was defending his house," Olson told the station in an on-camera interview. "Once someone breaks into your house, you have all means to defend your family. I would've done the same thing for my family."

Mother decapitated her 6-year-old son, authorities say. Cops saw blood leading to front door, heard female singing in home when they arrived.



Authorities said a mother in Kansas City decapitated her 6-year-old son and has been charged with first-degree murder.

What are the details?

A woman called police around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday saying she was concerned someone was trying to harm her, KCTV-TV reported, adding that she also said the devil was trying to attack her. The station said she hung up the phone after denying she had any mental illness.

When officers arrived at the home in the 7300 block of Indiana Avenue, they saw what appeared to be blood leading up to the front door — and heard a female singing inside the residence, KCTV said. When they knocked, the female sang louder, the station added.

An officer looked inside the house and saw a severed head, KCTV reported, adding that police learned at the scene there were three children associated with the house.

Officers forced their way through the rear door to check on the woman and children, the station said, adding that they found a woman in the kitchen with apparent blood on her legs and feet.

Beyond the kitchen officers found a child who apparently had been decapitated, KCTV said, adding that they also found a decapitated dog in the basement.

KCTV-TV said in a separate story that no other children were found inside the home, but police did find two knives.

Document reveals new details about incident that left child dead overnight in KCMOyoutu.be

Who was charged?

Tasha Haefs, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, the station said, citing the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, which requested that she be held without bond.

The prosecutor's office said Haefs told detectives the victim was her biological child and that she admitted to killing him, KCTV reported.

Anything else?

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said that "the community now knows some of the terrible details of the death of this 6-year-old child. It takes our breath away," the station said. She added that "it’s difficult to imagine the grief for this boy’s family. For the child’s classmates. His friends. Neighbors. The first responders who went to this crime scene," KCTV noted.

Baker also said "this child’s death is a call for something more. Our community must heed the call. Law enforcement, prosecutors, public health officials, social service providers, all of our many partners must work together to address the violence. Strong collaborations are needed to lean into this difficult challenge, and better protect our community’s most vulnerable population, our kids," the station added.

Kansas City woman charged with first-degree murder in death of 6-year-old sonyoutu.be

Baltimore HS student passes three classes in four years, has 0.13 GPA, gets sent back to 9th grade. His mother says she never knew.



Tiffany France figured her son would receive his diploma in June after four years of attending Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts in west Baltimore, WBFF-TV reported.

But the station said France was shocked to learn that her 17-year-old passed only three classes in four years, has a 0.13 grade point average, and now is getting sent back to the 9th grade.

Yet he's still ranked near the top half of his class of 120, the station added.

What that says about students ranked lower than him is beside the point. France told WBFF's Project Baltimore she never knew how her son was performing until last month and assumed all was well since he kept getting promoted to the next grade — but now he has to start over.

"He's stressed, and I am, too," France noted to the station. "I told him I'm probably going to start crying. I don't know what to do for him. ... He didn't fail, the school failed him. The school failed at their job. They failed. They failed, that's the problem here. They failed. They failed. He didn't deserve that."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What are the details?

Her son's transcripts show, for instance, that he failed Spanish I, Algebra I, and English II — but was promoted to Spanish II, Algebra II, and English III, WBFF said.

"I'm just assuming that if you are passing, that you have the proper things to go to the next grade and the right grades, you have the right credits," France told the station.

In addition to failing 22 classes, her son was late or absent 272 days — yet no one from the school told France her son was failing and not going to class, WBFF reported.

In all this time, only one teacher requested a parent conference — but France said it never happened, the station said.

"I feel like they never gave my son an opportunity, like if there was an issue with him, not advancing or not progressing, that they should have contacted me first, three years ago," she added to WBFF.

Incredibly, transcripts show France's son is ranked No. 62 out of 120 students — nearly in the top half of his class, the station said. Which means nearly half his classmates — 58 of them — are doing worse academically, WBFF said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What did school officials have to say?

A Baltimore City Public Schools administrator who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation told the station the school system failed France's son.

"I get angry. There's nothing but frustration," the administrator told WBFF. "We see on the news the crime that occurs, the murders, the shootings, we know that there are high levels of poverty in Baltimore. Things like this are adding to that. His transcript is not unusual to me. I've seen many transcripts, many report cards, like this particular student."

The administrator noted to the station that district failed because it has protocols and interventions set up to help students who are falling behind or have low attendance — but that they didn't happen in the case of France's son.

WBFF said City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises wouldn't consent to an interview, but the station noted that it received a two-page statement explaining what should happen when a student is chronically absent or failing.

More from WBFF:

The district says students received a letter about their academic status this past summer, and records can be accessed through the campus portal. When a student is absent, an automated call is placed to the number on file. The statement also said the school conducted recent home visits and the student's parent visited the school. France says none of that happened.

What the statement does not address, is why France's son was promoted despite failing classes. It doesn't discuss his class rank, or the 58 other students with a GPA of 0.13 or lower. But it does say North Avenue is "reviewing actions that impacted student outcomes" at the school prior to this year.

The district administrator who spoke to the station on the condition of anonymity said he would tell France that "I didn't have a hand on this student, but I worked for City Schools. So, he is one of my kids. I would hug her, and I would apologize profusely."

Now what?

France told WBFF her son "feels embarrassed, he feels like a failure. I'm like, 'You can't feel like that. And you have to be strong and you got to keep fighting. Life is about fighting. Things happen, but you got to keep fighting.' And he's willing, he's trying, but who would he turn to when the people that's supposed to help him is not? Who do he turn to?"

France — who has three children and works three jobs — added to the station that her son is "a good kid. He didn't deserve that. Where's the mentors? Where is the help for him? I hate that this is happening to my child."

She pulled her son out of Augusta Fells and enrolled him in an accelerated program at Francis M. Wood school in west Baltimore, WBFF said, adding that if her son works hard, he could graduate by 2023.

Student sent back to 9th Grade from 12th Gradeyoutu.be

A new wrinkle

A subsequent story from the station reported that the district has known for almost two years about problems at Augusta Fells Savage Institute for Visual Arts — and that documents show there has been an ongoing investigation into "improper staff conduct" at the school dating back to at least 2019.

The two documents — a memo about the investigation and a letter from Santelises — are on official Baltimore City Public Schools letterhead and were shared Wednesday and Thursday with elected officials from Baltimore City Council and some state legislators, WBFF reported.

The station said the note to officials provided "talking points" for reference since questions were being asked about the concerns at Augusta Fells Savage.

NEW: In light of the Project Baltimore investigation into a City high school, here’s a look at what was offered a… https://t.co/ezhsanGyQw
— Amy Simpson (@Amy Simpson) 1614883442.0

WBFF reported that the investigation was sparked by a discovery of "irregularities in course scheduling and inconsistencies in enrollment and grading" during a routine review of seniors at the school, which led to leadership changes, though few details were provided.

The district told the station that the letter from Santelises also was sent Thursday to families and staff.

Police: Boy, 13, home alone calls parents about man breaking in. Boy's dad, an off-duty cop, arrives and fatally shoots alleged intruder.



Miami-Dade Police said a 13-year-old boy who was home alone Monday afternoon called his parents about a man trying to break in — and it turns out the boy's father is an off-duty officer with the City of Miami police, WSVN-TV reported.

Well, after Dad arrived at the scene in the 700 block of Southwest 98th Court, the station said he shot and killed the man who allegedly attempted to break into the home.

What are the details?

Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said the off-duty City of Miami officer shot the man in the home's driveway, WTVJ-TV reported.

"I hear 'Boom, boom, boom, boom,'" neighbor Raul Artiles told WSVN. "Somebody shooting with a pistol, like 10 or 13 times."

Paramedics took the wounded man to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the station said.

The officer was the only one to fire a weapon, WTVJ reported, adding that detectives said it's unknown if the fatally shot man was armed.

A helicopter hovered over the home where the shooting took place, and WSVN said aerial footage showed blood on what appears to be a family's driveway.

City of Miami Police noted to WSVN that the officer who pulled the trigger is a department veteran.

Image source: WTVJ-TV video screenshot

Presumably referencing the officer's actions, neighbor Orencio Castillo told the station "that's a natural response I would say." Another nearby resident echoed the sentiment to WSVN, calling it "natural."

Christina Carmenate told the station when she heard about what happened, she rushed to the house to provide moral support for her cousin.

"Somebody was trying to break into her house," Carmenate added to WSVN. "She called her ex-husband [who] is a police officer, and there was some type of altercation, and there was a shooting. ... It was an attempted robbery, and the bad person was the one hit."

Artiles told the station he's lived in the "very, very peaceful, very nice" neighborhood for 35 years — and that he's never heard anything like a shooting before.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, WSVN said.

(H/T: Police Tribune)