Family identifies student who died at Franklin High School in Highland Park as Xavier Amaya

HIGHLAND PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The student who died at Franklin High School in Highland Park was identified by family members, who spoke at an emotional vigil for the teen.

The family of Xavier Amaya, who did not want to be identified on camera, told Eyewitness News that the 17-year-old had been the victim of bullying and expressed concerns about how he was treated in the days leading up to his death.

Amaya died Wednesday after police said he fell from the fourth floor of a campus building.

His parents said the school advised them to go to the hospital, even though his body was still at the school.

“The school didn’t communicate with either the mother or the father. They found out about him in very, very bad circumstances. The mother was in the hospital thinking her son was there,” one woman said at a vigil Thursday evening.

ABC7 spoke with a student who was in class with Amaya moments before her death. She said he was hit several times by another student before falling.

“I was right behind them when it all happened. When I turned around, all I saw was the kid punching him and punching him…the other kid was punching him, he just wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

ABC7 contacted the Los Angeles Unified School District about parents’ concerns. In a statement, a district spokesperson expressed condolences and said the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the incident and that grief counselors were available for students and staff.

The school reopened Thursday, but some students weren’t ready to return.

Meanwhile, the LAPD’s investigation into the tragedy continues. There are surveillance cameras throughout the school, which could have captured video of what happened before Amaya died.