Douglas DA will not pursue charges in 12-year-old’s death after student fight

The Douglas County district attorney will not pursue charges in the death of Jada West, a 12-year-old who died after a fight with another student after getting off the school bus earlier this year.

At a news conference Monday, District Attorney Dalia Racine said the investigation into Jada’s death revealed a heart condition, which the girl’s parents may not have previously been aware of, had contributed.

“A child’s death, understandably, brings shock and difficult questions. Jada’s family and this community deserve a careful examination of the evidence and a clear explanation of the findings,” Racine said at the news conference. “There is no way to make a definitive medical determination that this incident led to the condition that ultimately caused Jada’s death.”

Jada was a sixth-grader at Mason Creek Middle School earlier this year when the fight took place, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

She had arrived at her bus stop from school around 5 p.m. on March 5 when a dispute on the school bus with a 14-year-old student turned into a fight, Villa Rica Police Sgt. Spencer Crawford, a department spokesperson, said at the time.

Racine said the 14-year-old girl, whose identity has not been released, told other students on the bus to quiet down so the bus driver could hear whether any trains were approaching and cross railroad safely. A verbal argument broke out among the students, including Jada. Students were yelling on the bus, and some began chanting, “Fight!”

The physical fight began after the students got off the school bus in their subdivision. After initially walking away, the girls engaged in a physical fight. Both girls fell to the ground, during which Jada’s head hit the pavement, and they were quickly separated, Racine said.

Cellphone video provided by the family’s attorneys shows West falling on her head in the street during the fight. Investigators could not determine who initiated the altercation. Racine said it appeared there was “mutual engagement in the situation after the verbal argument.”

Jada collapsed shortly after walking away, Racine said. The 14-year-old girl came to her aid, as did the girl’s mother, a registered nurse.

Jada was rushed to the hospital, stabilized, then taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite where she died, Racine said.

The GBI conducted an autopsy and a blood test that revealed “an underlying genetic heart condition that led to her unexpected death,” Racine said.

“What we told both sets of parents is that this should have been a tiny blip on this girl’s history, and unfortunately, it has not,” Racine said. “It has resulted in a devastating loss for her family.”

Jada’s family said shortly after her death that she had been bullied, the AJC previously reported. They held a news conference with Harry Daniels, a civil rights attorney who said at the time he was related to Jada, seeking answers from law enforcement as to what happened prior to the physical fight.

Daniels did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

Racine said as part of the investigation, the school determined there were no prior incidents at the school on record between the two girls. The DA’s review of their cellphones also found they had not previously messaged each other.