The twelve-year old told police he and two other friends were playing on the playground at Morgan Elementary School when another youth approached and allegedly punched him in the face several times.
Officer Nicholas Francescon reported that the boy sustained visible cuts on his face, but his mother was present and declined medical treatment.
The victim said he knew the other youth only by a nickname, and that he has "never had any issues" with him before.
Sunday evening, the victim began complaining of headaches and nausea. His mother took him to Lourdes hospital for treatment, but he was transferred to a Nashville hospital, where he was admitted for observation. He was still in ICU Tuesday night because of slight bleeding, but if he improved overnight, family members were told he would be moved to a regular room Wednesday.
The victim's uncle, Al Knudsen, said on Tuesday that his nephew has swelling of his brain. He said he can't understand why people can't just leave others alone.
He said, "That's the worst part about being bullied, you spend so much time thinking, "What did I do?"
Donald Shively, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Paducah Public Schools, said they learned about the incident Monday morning from a bus driver who was told about it on her route. Officials began investigating by looking at surveillance video from cameras at the school's playground. They were able to confirm the identities of students involved in the incident, and cirumstances leading up to it, but the alleged beating was out of view of the cameras.
Shively said he's not sure whether the school contacted police first, or vice versa, but they have cooperated fully with the investigation.
Staff conducted interviews with those involved, and with witnesses. The school has also been in contact with the victim's mother throughout the day, gathering information and expressing everyone's best wishes for the victim.
"Obviously, our hearts and our prayers go out to him and his family, and that's first and foremost, and (we) want him to have a full and speedy recovery," Shively said.
The victim's family members have said that they visited the school before, claiming he was being bullied, but Shively was not able to confirm that, or reveal specific information about any other bullying incidents at the school.
"Any time a student or parent comes to the school, or we get any type of tip - bullying might be happening or harassment that might be happening, all of those icidents are taken very seriously, and they are all investigated thoroughly," Shively said. He did refer to the Paducah Police Department's report that the victim had not had any issues with the alleged assailant before.
Mayor Gayle Kaler posted a comment on the Facebook page of the victim's uncle, saying she was "horrified by the incident". She said she will be announcing an Anti-Bullying Task Force on June 11.(Note: At the request of the family, and because the student is a minor, WestKentuckyStar is not naming the victim.)
