INDIANAPOLIS — A mother is questioning why and how her daughter ended up with serious injuries after she was beaten by two male students inside a bathroom at Warren Central High School.
Lakesha Cannon is the mother of Niyah Dixon, 17, a senior at the high school. She has a broken neck, torn ligaments and other injuries after she was attacked, according to her family.
Cannon said one of her daughter's classmates tried punching her in the classroom before a second boy stormed in. She ran into the bathroom for safety.
That's when, Cannon said, the boys started punching her unconscious before another student separated the incident.
"Very scary, I couldn't put my head up on my own," Dixon said from her hospital bed.
Dixon was taken from the bathroom to the nurse. Her father picked her up and took her to the hospital because 911 was never called, according to the family.
Dixon is now at Riley Hospital for Children recovering from a six-hour surgery.
"She had to get a plate in front of her neck, she had to get pins in the back of her neck," Cannon said.
Cannon said she thinks the school failed her daughter and is disappointed because she trusted them with her safety.
"I sit here and thank god as much as I can for still having a daughter," Cannon said. "One snap, one more yank, one more anything. I could've been daughterless."
Cannon said at least one of the boys involved was in a relationship with her daughter.
"It's a lot, from something that both gentlemen could have just walked away from," Cannon said.
Cannon said one of the boys sent Dixon a threatening text message the week prior.
"I done described them as some little monsters with no home training," Cannon said. "After what they did to my daughter there is no other label for them."
WRTV asked Dixon what she would say to her fellow classmates who attacked her.
"I'll let God deal with it," Dixon said.
One of the boys involved was arrested and charged with three counts of battery and one count of disorderly conduct, according to a school police report.
Cannon said the principal told her both boys have been expelled. In an emailed statement, Dennis Jarrett, director of media and community relations for the district, said due to the age of people involved and the ongoing investigation.
On Tuesday, September 13 an incident involving two students occurred at the high school. Due to the ongoing investigation and the age of the young people involved, we are not able to share any additional information at this time.
On Friday morning, Jarrett sent the following statement to WRTV in response to a follow-up inquiry.
The daily safety of our Warren Central High School students and staff has been and will continue to be our highest priority. The intentional, targeted and criminal actions of the individual that took place on Tuesday, September 13 are intolerable for our school and for our society. We will continue to work with law enforcement and provide support to the injured student and her family, while respecting their privacy.
The incident started in a classroom, Cannon said a substitute teacher was in the classroom at the time and was reading a book.
There are several questions WRTV is waiting on answers to from the district:
- What's the safety protocol when a sub is in the classroom?
- Why wasn't 911 called?
- What is being done to protect students?
On Friday morning, Masimba Taylor, the principal of Warren Central High School, sent a letter to parents about the incident.
Dixon is hoping to study pre-med at Tennessee State and wants to become a pediatrician.
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