Police are now questioning multiple students at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Del., after a female student was killed Thursday during an assault in one of the school’s bathrooms, according to The New York Times.
Amy Joyner-Francis, 16, was a sophomore at the school. The fight originally broke out around 8 a.m., right after classes began for the day. According to a witness who was in one of the bathroom stalls at the time, Joyner-Francis and another student who has yet to be identified began to fight when multiple others jumped in and attacked her.
“She was fighting a girl, and that’s when all these other girls started banking her—jumping her—and she hit her head on the sink,” Kayla Wilson told WPVI, according to the Associated Press.
Soon after the fight, Joyner was airlifted to A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, where she was later pronounced dead. Students and teachers were held in their classes until 10:15, when classes were dismissed for the rest of the day.
“My heart bleeds for the family,” said Dennis P. Williams, the mayor of Wilmington, at a news conference. “Things like this shouldn’t happen.”
Students at the school seemed distraught over the matter and a hashtag, #RIPAmy, as well as a Facebook memorial page, was made in Joyner’s honor. By Friday afternoon the Facebook page had well over 11,000 likes.
Howard, which is not known for being a violent school, later released a statement regarding Joyner’s death.
“This is not only an unspeakable tragedy for her family, but also for the school and the entire community,” the statement read. “We are shaken but stand ready to provide support and care to the family, to Howard students and staff, and to all those affected by this senseless act. We ask that you do the same.”