16-year-old girl dead after fight at high school, police say

WILMINGTON, Del. – A 16-year-old sophomore died Thursday following a fight in a Delaware high school girl’s restroom, city officials said.

The fight involved multiple people at Howard High School of Technology, said Alexandra Coppadge, a spokeswoman for Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams.

Officers were called to the school as students were arriving for the day and the girl was flown to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police spokeswoman Sgt. Andrea Janvier said. She said police were expected to be at the school for several hours.

News media outlets quoted Police Chief Bobby Cummings as saying that two female students were taken to police headquarters for questioning. Howard isn’t known as a violent school and Cummings said he did not know of any other problems in recent days.

“My heart bleeds for the family,” Mayor Dennis Williams told a news conference.

State agencies will help provide support for those affected by the tragedy, Gov. Jack Markell said in a statement.

Students at the school were dismissed Thursday and officials had not determined yet whether classes would be held Friday, media outlets reported.

A mayoral debate on public safety scheduled to take place at the school Thursday night has been canceled.