10-year-old girl dies after sustaining injuries from a classroom fight

RaNiya Wright was said to be a wonderful, well-loved student. But officials want to know how she sustained injuries in a classroom fight that resulted in her death

Soraya Joseph

Mar 28, 2019

A South Carolina fifth-grader died Wednesday morning after suffering injuries from a classroom fight two days prior, leaving her family and the school system looking for answers.

On Monday morning, RaNiya Wright, 10, was identified by her family after reports of her hospitalization began to circulate on the web. The late child’s mother, Ashley Wright, took to Facebook to confirm the young girl’s death. Her mother posted a photo of the late Wright smiling, along with the caption “As of 9:39 My baby girl has gain [sic] her wings.”

The unfortunate brawl between children took place at Forest Hills Elementary School in Walterboro, SC. According to details released in a statement by the Colleton County Sheriff Office to Yahoo Lifestyle, not long after a fight took place in Wright’s classroom, emergency medical services were called to the scene.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office stated that the 10-year-old was unconscious, but breathing, at the time emergency personnel arrived. She was soon airlifted from school grounds, and taken to the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment, where she would later succumb to her injuries.

The Superintendent of the Colleton County School District (CCSD) released a statement to Wright’s family, on behalf of the district.

“Our community has suffered a tremendous loss. We are deeply saddened that Raniya Wright, a fifth grade Forest Hills Elementary School Student, has passed away,” the statement started. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with this family in the difficult days ahead.”

The district remembered RaNiya as “a wonderful student,” while assuring the community that “The District is cooperating fully with law enforcement as this matter is investigated.”

Wright’s cause of death is pending an autopsy scheduled for Friday. In the meantime, the student involved in the fight has been suspended. It is unclear how the fight started or how many students were involved.