The shocking moment bullies attacked and killed a 16-year-old girl at school: Cell phone video captured 'fight over a boy' that ended in tragedy
Amy Inita Joyner-Francis, 16, died after being attacked by a gang of girls
Witnesses said the victim had got into a fight with another girl over a boy
She was suddenly jumped by a gang of girls in the bathrooms of Howard High School of Technology
Video shows the teen being grabbed by her hair and forced to her knees
Joyner was knocked out and her head allegedly banged against the sink
Amy was flown by helicopter to A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead
Classmate said Amy didn't 'believe in fighting' and probably went into the bathroom to 'talk things out'
By Hannah Parry and Valerie Edwards and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com
Published: 14:10 EST, 24 April 2016 | Updated: 00:49 EST, 25 April 2016
This is the horrific moment high school teen Amy Inita Joyner-Francis was allegedly attacked and killed by a group of bullies in the school bathrooms.
The picture, taken from cellphone footage, shows the 16-year-old being forced to her knees by a girl who has grabbed hold of her hair.
Wilmington police are investigating and that the assault may have been filmed by one or more of Joyner-Francis' attackers.
Students who witnessed the deadly scuffle said that 16-year-old Joyner-Francis (pictured) and another girl started fighting in one of the women's bathrooms over a boy, when a gang of other girls jumped her
Officials say the fight broke out Thursday morning around 8.15am before classes at Howard High School of Technology, a vocational school in Wilmington, Delaware
Friends have identified the victim as Amy Inita Joyner-Francis (left and right), 16, who died after being attacked by a group in the women's bathroom at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Delaware, Thursday morning
The fight broke out around 8.15am on Thursday before classes at Howard High School of Technology, a vocational school in Wilmington, Delaware.
Students who witnessed the deadly scuffle said that Joyner and another girl started fighting in one of the women's bathrooms over a boy, when a gang of other girls jumped the victim.
At one point, someone slammed her head against a sink, according to witnesses who spoke with 6ABC.
Joyner-Francis was flown to A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital in critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead. The cause of death has not been confirmed
Authorities have questioned three girls over the deadly brawl - all of whom have now been suspended from school.
'Now they know they're in very serious trouble and could spend a substantial amount of time in prison,' Mayor Dennis Williams told CBS News.
Amy was flown by helicopter to A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital in critical condition. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital
Amy was flown by helicopter to A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital in critical condition. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital
'My heart bleeds for the family,' Mayor Dennis Williams told a news conference.
Kaya Wilson was in a stall when the fight broke out and spoke with the local news station after leaving school.
'She was fighting a girl, and then that's when all these other girls started banking her -like jumping her - and she hit her head on the sink,' Wilson said.
'There was an altercation that initially started between two people, and my understanding is that additional individuals joined in against the one person,' Gary Fullman, chief of staff to the Wilmington mayor, told KTLA.
Speaking a day after her shocking death, her father Sonny Francis told FOX29: 'I thought schools were a safe place.
He added: 'I think this is a dream and I'm trying to wake up. All I know is my daughter is gone. She was the love of my life and it hurts.'
Sherry Dorsey Walker, a Wilmington city councilwoman, said that the family is asking for spiritual healing in the community and no retaliation. She says they're also 'asking people to just be calm and pray for them'.
The councilwoman described the victim as 'a wonderful human being', adding that 'her loss is a big void, not just in the family'.
Nathaniel Kenyatta, a freshman at the school, was friends with the victim and spoke to Delaware Online on Thursday.
He says he met her in a HVAC class and that she was an easy person to talk to.
'She was very open,' he said. 'I feel bad for the people who have known her for years.'
Her friends and neighbors knew her as the quiet teen who would focus on her homework.
Nik Stryminski told the News-Journal that Amy had kept him safe and out of a fight earlier this school year.
When he and another student were getting ready to fight she stepped in, backed him into a corner and calmed him down.
He said: 'She didn't believe in fighting, and the craziest thing is she died in a fight.'
Stryminski believes Joyner-Francis went into the bathroom not to fight but to 'talk things out'.
Troy Johnson, a sophomore at Howard, said Amy was a good influence to her peers with her calm personality, he said.
'If I were to have kids I'd want them to hang around someone like her,' he told the News Journal.
Another student said Amy was often the one who calmly counseled her friends.
Amil Gibbs, a sophomore at Howard, told the News-Journal that she would sit with Amy during lunch and tell her about problems she had in school. And Amy would encourage her to 'be strong'.
From Twitter to Facebook #RIPAmy was trending last week as several people across the nation have called her death senseless.
On social media, many say they can't believe other students didn't intervene to help her.
Others said it's sickening to know that students stood there and watched and recorded as the fight erupted all because of a boy.
One Twitter user said she prays 'for this generation' and hopes 'justice will be served', while another said the world needs a 'cultural shift'.
Howard isn't known as a violent school and Police Chief Cummings said he did not know of any other problems in recent days.
Superintendent Victoria Gehrt called Amy's death an 'unbelievable tragedy for the family'. She also said that despite what happened, Howard High School of Technology 'is a safe school for our students'.
School officials canceled classes Thursday and it's unclear whether the school will reopen on Friday.
A mayoral debate on public safety that was scheduled to take place at the school Thursday night was also canceled.
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