The Los Angeles school district has taken swift action in response to a tragic incident that resulted in the death of a student at Washington Preparatory High School. Schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho announced on Friday that the district has removed a campus-safety contractor from the school following allegations that an adult, believed to be an employee of the contractor, failed to intervene in a fight that led to the student’s demise.
The incident, which occurred on April 15 just a few blocks from the campus, was captured on a cellphone video. In the footage, an adult can be heard making disturbing remarks, stating, “Let them … fight. If they want to fight, let the … police [inaudible]. … I’m not breaking up s—. I don’t give a f—.” Students and Nery Paiz, the head of the school administrators union, have claimed that the individual in question was wearing the yellow vest or jacket associated with the “safe passages” program, which aims to ensure students’ safety during their commute to and from school.
Tragically, less than 10 seconds after the altercation began, three gunshots rang out, and 15-year-old Elijah McGinnis III collapsed. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Carvalho, appearing on KTLA-TV Channel 5, expressed his disapproval of the individual’s alleged comments, stating that they were inconsistent with the district’s policies and best practices. Based on the district’s investigation, Carvalho strongly suggested that the person in the video was indeed a safe-passages worker, leading to the termination of the contract with the private sector entity responsible for the program.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has faced criticism for its handling of the incident, with some accusing the district of evading responsibility. While a message from Washington Prep Principal Tony Booker referred to the incident as something that occurred “off-campus after school hours,” Carvalho took a different stance, acknowledging the district’s responsibility to address any violence that victimizes a child, regardless of the location.
The incident has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the safe-passages program, particularly regarding the training and screening of participants and their ability to coordinate with law enforcement when situations escalate. However, the district has yet to provide specific answers to these questions.
In response to the tragedy, school police have temporarily increased patrols outside the school, and no further violence has been reported. However, students interviewed near the school expressed skepticism about the increased security, as they had witnessed the presence of individuals in yellow shirts, presumably the safe-passages workers, during the incident. These students had seen multiple cellphone videos capturing the event, with one witness noting that more than a dozen students were filming what they believed would be a fist fight or a beating, unaware that one of the participants had a gun.
