A Maryland fourth-grader who was involved in an incident that resulted in the hanging of a 7-year-old in a school bathroom will not face charges because of his age.
The incident occurred on November 15 at C. Barnhart Elementary School. The 7-year-old boy’s story went viral after his mother shared it on social media.
“A fourth grader hung my second-grade child in the boys’ bathroom,” the mother wrote on social media.
“I received the most traumatic phone call from the school, informing me that my child was being rushed to Children’s Hospital in Northwest… I’m angry and seeing red, but my son is here by GOD’s grace, and I will be eternally grateful.”
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office determined that the incident was not a hate crime because both students were from the same demographic.
“There is no evidence suggesting any racial, biased, or other discriminatory motivations,” the sheriff’s office stated in a press release.
“While the events in the bathroom remain unclear, the information available at this time does not suggest criminal intent was involved.”
Regardless, the fourth-grader is too young to be charged with a crime. Under Maryland law, a child under the age of 13 may not be charged with a crime.
When the school district learned of the incident, administrators stated that the boy was hanged after his jacket became caught on a hook while horseplaying with another student. According to the 7-year-old’s mother, that makes no sense.
“If you’re horseplaying, how do you get caught on a hook?” she asked WUSA9. “We need answers, I want answers, and we won’t stop till we get answers.”
