12-year-old Jada West dies after bus stop fight in Georgia, family says she was bullied

Jada West’s family says the 12-year-old had only recently transferred schools and had been dealing with bullying before the fight that preceded her death.

A community is grieving after 12-year-old Jada West died following a reported fight with another student on the school bus. 

On March 5, West, a student at Mason Creek Middle School, collapsed near her home after getting off the bus from school. Cellphone video footage shows the 12-year-old getting into an altercation with a group of girls on the street during which she took a hard fall. However, as she was walking away from the fight, she ultimately collapsed. 

“I got in the car and drove up there, and she was on the ground. She wasn’t breathing,” Rashunda McClendon, West’s mother, told WSB-TV Atlanta, recalling one of her daughter’s friends running to get her when it happened. 

The preteen was rushed to Tanner Medical Center, where her mother says she began seizing. She was later transferred to Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, where she fell into a coma and ultimately took her last breath. 

“I don’t understand. And she was on the ground, she wasn’t breathing,” West’s mother told Fox 5 Atlanta. “I’m so angry. We have to teach our children to love.” 

According to West’s family, the preteen had experienced bullying and only started attending Mason Creek Middle School in January. Now, her loved ones are seeking answers as they await results from the autopsy and Villa Rica Police Department’s (VRPD) investigation.

“Nobody tried to stop it. No one tried to call the police and stop it,” McClendon stressed to WSB-TV. “It’s gotta stop. It must stop. Violence has to stop.” 

“And it’s not right that this little girl and the other kids get to go to school. My niece is not here anymore. My niece was in the hospital with a tube in her throat,” family member Dequala McClendon added. 

Following West’s passing, Douglas County School System (DCSS) released a statement extending its condolences to the family and loved ones. 

“She will be remembered by her teachers, her classmates, and all who knew her […] Any situation that results in harm to a child is one we take with the highest level of urgency,” the DCSS wrote. “This incident did not occur on school property or during school hours, and there is nothing to indicate that this is related to any on-campus activity. Therefore, this matter is under the jurisdiction of the VRPD.”