The serious injuries a second grader suffered in an elementary school bathroom were not the result of a hate crime, the Charles County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
The student was hurt while "horseplaying" in a bathroom inside C. Barnhart Elementary School, school officials said.
Investigators reviewed reviewed security video and interviewed witnesses and others with knowledge about the case, the sheriff's office said.
The students involved have "the same demographic background, and there is no evidence suggesting any racial, biased, or other discriminatory motivations," a statement from the sheriff's office said.
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The sheriff's office said what happened in the bathroom is still unclear but there's no current evidence of criminal intent.
In viral Instagram post, injured boy's mother questions what happened
News4 started asking school officials and law enforcement questions after an Instagram post by the 7-year-old boy's mother went viral. News4 spoke with the parents and is protecting the identities of the family members.
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“I got a message saying that he is in the back of an ambulance with the principal,” the boy's father said. “In the message, it didn’t say what was the reason.”
When the boy's parents were given more information from the principal, it only led to more questions.
“She told me that he was in the bathroom with another student and somehow, some way, he ended up on a hook,” he said.
“Once we got to the hospital, the principal told me how she found our son,” the boy's mother said. “She said he was foaming at the mouth and unresponsive and she had to get him down.”
Barnhart Principal Carrie Burke sent a letter to parents saying the student was injured while playing with another student. Burke said the other student sought help, and administrators went to the injured boy's aid while staff dialed 911.
"Two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall door hook. The student was not able to free themselves and the other student involved was also not able to help them. This student left the bathroom to seek help from staff and reported the incident to administrators. Administrators responded and were able to assist, but staff called 911 for additional precautionary medical support. Due to privacy reasons, I am not able to share any additional details with you," the letter said.
The second grader was hospitalized and is now recovering at home.
The principal’s letter also sought to dispel concerns that there was a possible suicide attempt.
"I understand that the initial 911 report resulted in a first responder call that shared a possible suicide attempt occurred at our school. This was then posted on social media by a community member, causing a bit of community concern. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) quickly shared an update with you as well as the Barnhart staff to dispel any inaccurate information beginning to circulate," the letter said.
CCPS also said no evidence the incident was race related nor of intent to hurt was found.
An Instagram post about the incident went viral online. The student’s parents said they want attention brought to the situation and they want answers, but they don’t want the wrong kind of attention. They said they’re not feeling hatred toward the other child, whom they know only as a fourth grader.
“We don’t want any harm done to this child because we’ve seen what social media does when something this serious does happen,” the boy's father said.
Still, the boy's mother says she finds the horseplay explanation difficult to fathom.
“What type of horseplay leaves a child up on a hook?” she said.
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