Overview
- A male student fell from an upper-story balcony at Benjamin Franklin High School shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
- The Los Angeles Police Department is leading a death investigation and has said there is no evidence of foul play so far while detectives continue to interview witnesses and collect evidence.
- The campus was placed on lockdown as Los Angeles School Police and the Los Angeles Fire Department responded, a canopy and taped-off area were set up at the scene, and the lockdown was later lifted.
- Students told local media that a classroom fight preceded the fall and videos of the incident have circulated online, prompting officials and community leaders to urge people not to share graphic footage and to protect minors’ privacy.
- Local school officials have kept the victim’s identity private because he is a juvenile and the district has deployed counselors as the community seeks answers about supervision, student conflict and how the school will respond.