Bellingham Herald. “I shouldn’t have had to ask. I felt that the fact that they didn’t call 911 is an absolute dereliction of their duty.”Ruben took her son to St.
Joseph Medical Center’s emergency department, where he was evaluated and released. The boy suffered facial cuts, swelling, and bruises, and currently struggles with frequent headaches and memory loss.He is having a follow-up exam for possible traumatic brain injury stemming from the attack — which could result in lifelong negative health consequences.Ruben said her son was jumped, without provocation, by several boys outside a business on Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham. Her son was allegedly punched, thrown against a tree, knocked to the ground, and kicked in the head multiple times while his assailants yelled out anti-trans slurs and other insults.A friend of her son’s found a video of the attack on Instagram.
Police were able to use it to help authorities identify the suspects.“It took me a few days to realize the gravity that my child was [beaten] because they are transgender,” Ruben told AM radio station KOMO News. “The children who attacked my kid should have been expelled immediately.”Bellingham Public Schools spokeswoman Dana Smith confirmed that school officials were aware of the attack.“We are aware of an off-campus assault that happened on October 22. We also assisted the student and their parent in making a report to Bellingham police,” Smith told the Herald in a statement.
“We continue our school-based investigation and continue to cooperate with the law enforcement investigation.“The identity of the other individuals involved was originally unclear to school officials. As we have learned identities, we have shared that information with police. Witnesses have stepped forward, and we continue to share additional info with police.
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