The school day at Benjamin Franklin High School was nearing a change of classes when students heard a loud impact in the quad. Within minutes, the Highland Park campus in Los Angeles was placed on lockdown. A student had fallen from the fourth floor, and classmates were left trying to understand what had happened.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30. Andrew Rivera told ABC7 that he heard a âbig thumpâ before learning about the lockdown. Another student, Welly Eng, said the boy had fallen from the fourth floor of a school building.
Emergency crews responded to the campus in the 800 block of North Avenue 54. In a statement to PEOPLE, the Los Angeles Police Department said firefighters transported the student to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
On campus, a white tent was erected as authorities began investigating. Students remained under lockdown for nearly three hours. The Los Angeles School Police Department described the situation to families as a âmedical emergency.â
For parents receiving news from their children, the wait brought fear. Jessica Gomez immediately called hers to check that they were safe.
âMy heart was racing. I had to call my children to see if they were OK because no parent wants to have that phone call saying that your son or daughter unfortunately died,â Gomez told ABC7.
A classroom fight before the fall
As students began describing the moments before the emergency, accounts emerged of a confrontation. Eng told ABC7 that an altercation involving the student and another pupil had taken place before the student ran and fell.
FOX 11 subsequently reported that video it obtained showed a physical fight inside a classroom, with a teacher repeatedly calling for it to stop. The student later left the classroom.
The station reported that police identified and interviewed the other student involved. It also cited an important preliminary finding: investigators said the student was not being actively chased, threatened or followed at the moment he went over the balcony railing.
That finding does not settle every question about what happened. The reason for the earlier fight remained unconfirmed, and FOX 11 said authorities had not announced arrests or formal charges. NBC4âs initial report also quoted police as saying there was no evidence of foul play at that stage.
Flowers, candles and a difficult return
By Wednesday evening, a memorial was growing outside the school gates. Flowers and candles gave classmates and neighbors a place to remember the student while the investigation continued.
Classes resumed Thursday, October 1, but returning was difficult for some. In ABC7âs follow-up coverage, student Chance Pedroza said he would stay away for the rest of the week.
âIâm not going to go to school for the rest of the week. I think itâs too much,â Pedroza said.
A cafeteria worker who witnessed the aftermath also questioned whether students needed more time before returning. Parents and students voiced concerns about bullying, although investigators had not established it as the cause of the death.
Principal Marine Davtyan said counseling and support would be available. âWe encourage families to check in with their children and remind them that it is okay to seek support when needed,â she said in a statement carried by FOX 11.
A vigil was held Thursday as the community mourned. The investigation into the fatal incident remains ongoing, with authorities working to establish the sequence of events before the fall.
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