MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — A 13-year-old boy has died nearly 10 days after he was assaulted at a Southern California middle school, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Wednesday.
The boy, identified by officials only as Diego, was sucker punched during a caught-on-video attack Sept. 16 at Landmark Middle School in Moreno Valley, according to KTLA.
He was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, but “was pronounced clinically dead last night as a result of injuries sustained in the attack,” officials said in a Facebook post.
Two boys, also 13, have been arrested in connection with the assault, which was caught on video and created an uproar in the community. The boys remain in custody in juvenile hall and are facing prosecution, officials said.
“Rigorous medical intervention and treatment efforts at an area hospital were unsuccessful,” sheriff’s officials said in the Facebook page announcing the victim’s death. “The Sheriff’s Department joins the community in mourning the loss of this young man.”
Deputies were called to a fight involving students on the campus about 1:10 p.m. the afternoon of the incident.
