US Student Dies After Fall From School's 4th Floor, Bullying Claims Surface With Fight Video

A student at Benjamin Franklin High School in Los Angeles died on Wednesday after falling from the fourth floor of the school building, police said. The incident happened around 1 pm on September 30, and the circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said the student was a boy but did not release his name or age. Police are investigating the death and said there was no evidence of foul play at this stage, NBC Los Angeles reported. 

The incident took place at the school in the Highland Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles. LAPD officers responded to the campus after being called to assist Los Angeles School Police.

The school was placed on lockdown following what the Los Angeles Unified School District described to parents as a medical emergency.

Students said the incident happened around the end of their fourth-period class. The sudden death left students and staff shaken as police began investigating what had happened. "When we got out, you could feel the vibe and see everyone's faces; they looked worried, they looked scared. They looked distraught ... And I was walking out and could see people crying. So emotional. It's heartbreaking to see," said Leah Diaz, a junior at the school.

Claims Of Bullying

Videos and claims circulating on social media have raised questions about whether a fight or bullying may have taken place shortly before the fall. However, police and school officials have not confirmed that bullying was involved, and the exact sequence of events remains under investigation.

According to a student who said they witnessed the incident, a fight broke out inside a fourth-floor classroom, Fox 11 reported.

A video circulating online appears to show two male students fighting inside a classroom while a teacher tries to stop them. The footage then appears to show one student leaving the classroom, followed by another student chasing him through the hallway. A subsequent video appears to show the student going over the fourth-floor railing.

"I hear stuff rumbling and falling, and I look up and I see kids fighting. I see a kid getting hurt pretty bad... [he] throws himself over the fourth floor, one witness told FOX 11. 

Another student described the boy who fell as quiet and said he generally did not speak much in class.

However, these accounts and the videos circulating online have not established what happened immediately before the fall or whether bullying played any role. Police have not publicly confirmed that the student was being chased or targeted by other students before the fall.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are expected to examine witness accounts, video footage and other evidence to determine exactly what led to the student's death.