13-year-old Houston girl dies after fight at middle school

A 13-year-old girl who was placed on life support after being attacked by three other girls has died, according to ABC 13.

Kashala Francis, a student at Attucks Middle School, died Wednesday morning at Texas Children's Hospital, six days after being beaten up after class last week, police and her mother Mamie Jackson said.

Doctors discovered a tumor in the back of Francis' head while she was on life support and believed the fight may have worsened her condition.

Authorities are treating Francis' death as a homicide pending an autopsy, said Victor Senties, a spokesman for the Houston police.

"Until the autopsy is finished, we won't know," he told the station.

Photo: Facebook

In a video of last Thursday's assault, several girls can be seen attacking Francis while laughing. One of the girls allegedly kicked her in the head.

Though Francis returned home that day claiming she was fine, she called her mother three days later to complain of a headache.

"I drove over and I told her get up. I said 'Get up, Kashala.' She kept saying, 'Mama, my head hurt,' so she laid down," Jackson said.

When Francis lost consciousness, Jackson said she called 911. Paramedics took the middle schooler to the hospital, where she slipped into a coma. While operating on her, doctors found the tumor in her head.

"We found out she has a large tumor in the back of her head, and she had fluid buildup in her brain," Jackson said.

Police are unsure whether Francis ultimately died due to the tumor or the fight and have not made any arrests.

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