CINCINNATI -- The mother of an 8-year-old Ohio boy who killed himself after she says he was bullied at school pledged to speak out on his behalf.
Cornelia Reynolds said in a Friday statement that her son Gabriel Taye's voice "will be heard" and that parents need to tell their children to seek help if they are being hurt.
"It is my obligation to make sure that this will never happen again," she said. "No, this will not go away. People need to know the truth and help fix this epidemic in our society by spreading awareness and speaking up."
Reynolds' attorneys say she didn't learn her son was bullied until they saw an email written by a Cincinnati police detective that describes a Jan. 24 incident outside a boys' bathroom, where the attorneys say Gabriel was knocked unconscious.
As Gabriel was shaking hands with a student, the boy yanks him to the ground and appears to "celebrate and rejoice in his behavior," according to the officer's email description of a video reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer and obtained independently by The Washington Post. Students stepped over his body, pointing, mocking, nudging and kicking him, the detective said.
He hanged himself two days later at his home.
The Cincinnati school district, in contrast, says the boy told staff that he had fainted and never said he had been bullied or assaulted.
Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said his office is looking into possible charges in the case. The Hamilton County coroner said earlier that she is reopening the investigation into Gabriel's suicide.
Cincinnati Public Schools on Friday released copies of the grainy and choppy 24-minute-long video that shows a boy interacting with other students. The mother's attorneys say he pushed Gabriel into a wall, knocking him unconscious.
"It is our firm position that the allegations portrayed in the media are not supported by the video," the district said in a statement.
The release also noted that police reviewed the video and no charges were filed.
In the video, Gabriel is seen shaking hands with a student. That's when he falls to the ground. The video shows Gabriel's motionless legs from the bathroom entrance as other students hover and walk past and around him.
He lays on the bathroom floor for several minutes. Other students nudge or poke Gabriel with their feet. At one point, three students can be seen standing over Gabriel. One of them, a boy wearing a blue sweater, raises his leg until his knee was at waist level before walking away.
For about six minutes, no one helps Gabriel -- until an assistant principal walks in.
Jennifer Branch, the family's lawyer, said Gabriel was nauseated and threw up on the evening of the incident. His mother took him to the hospital, where she was told the boy had a stomach flu. Gabriel didn't go to school the following day, but went back Jan. 26. That day, he returned home from school, went to his room and hanged himself with his own neckties.
Gabriel didn't show signs of medical or mental health issues, and was an "adorable" and "happy-go-lucky" child, Branch said. The school called him "an outstanding young man."
"Gabriel was a shining light to everyone who knew and loved him," his mother said in her statement. "We miss him desperately and suffer everyday. His life was not only stolen from him, but from those of us who expected to watch him grow up and enjoy life. If I could, I would give anything to have him back."
Information for this article was contributed by staff members of The Associated Press and by Kristine Phillips and Samantha Schmidt of The Washington Post.
A Section on 05/14/2017