Beaten to a pulp, 13 yr. old fights for life
The constant stream of reports of crimes against children has done little to erase the shock value of brutal attacks on the nation’s most helpless citizens. Tonight, a thirteen-year-old boy slips in and out consciousness as he fights to recover from a violent assault near his home on the Southside of the city. Today News 5’S Patrick Jones discovered a child, his mother, and a neighborhood, traumatized by fear and desperate for consolation.
Patrick Jones Reporting
Thirteen year old Stanwell Arana lies critically wounded in the surgical ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital…victim of a vicious attack five days ago. The teenager?s mother Dorla Lamb says the family is still searching for answers.
Dorla Lamb, Mother
?They find him by Church of Christ Preschool and they say they find him half naked. And when they gone for me by my job, the police tell me my son deh dah hospital and when I reach there I see him. And from Thursday, one thirty, I deh dah hospital till now, my son still di there.?
Reports to News 5 are that on Wednesday night, Arana and his twelve year old brother were accosted by a man as they played near the Church of Christ compound on Elston Kerr Street. The twelve year old says he was able to escape his attacker but his brother not so lucky.
Dorla Lamb
?He got knock in his head, and he got a swelling in his brains and that is what cause him to go from himself every time. That?s all I know, but he come round lee bit and he talk to me this morning and so and he go right back and he cry again.?
The gruesome discovery of the badly beaten youth was made by Margarita Jones, a teacher at the nearby preschool.
Blood stains still visible on the wall, indicate that Arana struggled with his attacker before being overwhelmed.
Margarita Jones, Teacher
?It was more or less around midday. I think it was on Thursday a child came into the school area and told us that there is a little boy dead behind the church area. So, I decided to hurry come out and make a check. When I made a check, there was this little boy lying in the grass, his face with blood with a wound unto his forehead. He was nude; his pants were all rolled up in his underwear and there was blood all over the shirt and a couple blood clots was totally all over his face. I tried to talk to the child and at least about five times I would say the child tried to get up to respond but it?s obvious that he couldn?t communicate with us absolutely any at all and he was going through some sort of terrible pain.?
Jones says the attack has left the neighbourhood stunned, especially since the child is not a troublemaker in the area.
Margarita Jones
?We are familiar with the child because the he is always out front in the church yard playing football or something like that. He is a child that we are quite familiar with.?
Patrick Jones
?Did the child say anything to you??
Margarita Jones
?Well the child couldn?t respond. He couldn?t respond. But it?s obvious that he was trying to answer to us. However, his communication was really poor, he was understanding, but probably couldn?t respond due to some type of head injury or the pain he was going through. But you could see he was in terrible pain and he just couldn?t help himself any at all.?
For now, all the mother is asking is for the police to track down the person responsible for the crime.
Dorla Lamb
?I just want justice. I want them to find him. I just want justice. I want them deal with him when they find him.?
Patrick Jones, for News Five.
Police are actively seeking one suspect in connection with this incident.
