A white Minnesota teen who violently beat up a teaching assistant was allowed to leave jail without bail and go home after his mother pleaded with a judge and promised to keep a close eye on him.
Corey David Burfield, 18, brutally attacked teaching assistant Mohammed Dukuly, reports the Atlanta Black Star.
Burfield reportedly beat Dukuly unconscious, punching and battering him in the face and knocking him to the floor. Dukuly was rushed to a hospital where he was placed on a ventilator in the ICU.
Last Wednesday, Burfield appeared in court and was charged with one count of first-degree assault, and one count of third-degree assault.
While Dukuly lays in a hospital fighting for his life, Burfield got to go home. The mother of the teen argued that he was not a flight risk and the judge accommodated her request.
“Quite frankly, we are disappointed,” Imam Mohammed Dukuly, the victim’s uncle, told reporters. “ … For a serious case like this, I think he should’ve been on bail.”
The teen has a well-documented history of violence, local station KSTP reported.
According to court documents, the teen was “… involved in an unprovoked attack against four school staff with one of the staff sustaining a concussion” back in December 2015. This is not the first time Burfield initiated an attack either.
At another school he allegedly “made countless swings at a male staff’s head, face and throat.”
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Because of Burfield’s violent history, the family fears that he will attack again.
Dukuly, served as a paraprofessional at Harrison Education Center for 10 years. Colleagues said he is a great teacher who was well-liked.
Dukuly is now off the ventilator and showing signs of improvement, said his family.
“We feel like a heavy mountain has been removed from our head,” Imam Dukuly added. “He can recognize us and we are very excited and grateful to Allah and for the community support. It’s our prayer that the strength we see will continue in his recovery.”
Burfield has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor and he’s required to stay away from Dukuly. He is scheduled to appear again in court June 22.