A Missouri teenager who was brutally beaten in what officials called a “deranged display of violence” by another teen is out of the intensive care unit but has limited speech and trouble walking on her own, an attorney for the family said.
Kaylee Gain has been hospitalized since a March 8 fight near Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis that was captured in a viral social media video.
The footage shows several people brawling in the street near the intersection of Norgate and Claudine drives, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a March 11 Facebook post.
One person is seen repeatedly punching Gain and slamming her head to the ground. A 15-year-old girl was arrested a day after the fight on assault charges, authorities said.
Police said the victim was found “suffering a severe head injury” and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
In an update Friday, an attorney for Gain’s family said she was out of the intensive care unit and “has been able to engage in limited verbal conversations.”
“Kaylee also recently began speech therapy, and has gone on a few short walks with the assistance of hospital staff as she is still unable to ambulate on her own,” attorney Bryan Kaemmerer said. “However, Kaylee does not have any recollection of the altercation that led to her hospitalization.”
Kaemmerer addressed several social media rumors about the altercation, denying reports that Gain’s mother drove her to the location of the fight.
He said Gain’s mother was at work and was driven to the hospital by a co-worker after police informed her of what happened.
The attorney, however, did confirm reports that Gain had been involved in a fight on March 7 with a different teenager. Both girls were suspended after that incident, Kaemmerer said.
He said it was unclear whether the March 8 brawl was retaliation.
Gain’s parents are calling for the 15-year-old to be tried as an adult. Kaemmerer said in his statement that “the family believes trying the accused as an adult is the most appropriate way to provide the justice that Kaylee deserves.”
Authorities have not said if the 15-year-old would be tried as an adult.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a post on X that the fight was “sickening” and the video was “difficult to watch.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called the actions in the video a “deranged display of violence that must be punished to the full extent of the law.”
On Thursday, police announced that eight more teenagers were referred to St. Louis County Family Court for consideration of assault charges, NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis reported. They include a 17-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy, two 16-year-old girls, three 16-year-old boys, and one 14-year-old girl. None of the teens have been taken into custody.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
