Video of a violent attack involving teenagers near Hazelwood East High School began circulating widely on social media this weekend.
Dr. Marty K. Casey is the founder of UnGUN Institute, which was founded in 2020. She said she received dozens of calls over the weekend about what can be done to stop the epidemic of violence. Her first reaction when she saw video of teenagers fighting near Hazelwood East High School on Friday was thinking about the students, parents and administrators.
"When I put myself in the shoes of parents and administrators and even other students, the first thing that I can, imagine is that the fear starts to rise and fear in the community," Dr. Casey said.
The video, along with ring doorbell footage, shows a girl's head being slammed into the concrete multiple times.
Police said she remains in critical condition. A 15-year-old is being held by family court on assault charges.
Casey's organization works actively with 13 schools in the St. Louis in the St. Louis area providing trainings for teachers and students to disarm many types of violence including bullying, suicide, domestic violence and gun gun violence. Dr. Casey also provides community conversations that allow people to unpack trauma and learn tools to cope.
She hopes the Hazelwood district reaches out for help.
"If they are not bringing in organizations like mine and others? There lies the problem. Because if you have a board that's voting on it, and they're looking at it from the aspect of the financial, commitment, well, that seems to be too much. What is too much for protecting a child? There's no such thing because the lives of our children are priceless," Casey said.
Casey said in order to stop the epidemic of violence, everyone has to take accountability, including students, parents and school administrators.
"We can no longer just continue to sweep it under the rug and wait until it hits our own backyard, because it could be too late," Casey said.
Casey will have her next community conversation on March 22 at 6 p.m. at Walnut Park Church, which is being sponsored by the UnGUN Institute and Walnut Park Community Outreach, Inc.
Dr. Casey said any parent, student or community member who needs to talk about to unpacking trauma should call her at 314-518-5508.
Meanwhile, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said on social media that the 15-year-old should be tried as an adult.
That decision is ultimately up to juvenile court officials, who will decide if there will be hearing.
So far, one has not been scheduled.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell also took to social media, saying, "it's a juvenile court matter, unless it is certified and by law. Certification is not our decision either. We pray the victim makes a full recovery. This is just heartbreaking".
The Hazelwood School District released a statement over the weekend:
"It is a tragedy anytime children are hurt. Bullying and fighting in the community is an issue for which we all need to take ownership and work towards a resolution for the sake of our children. The Hazelwood School District offers our sincerest condolences to everyone involved, and will offer additional emotional support from our support and crisis team to those in need. We look forward to continuing to partner with our community for the sake of our children. Please be kind and respectful of the families involved during this difficult time and pledge to help work toward the betterment of our entire community."