What was supposed for be a fun and normal schoolyard game between 10-year-old Bryce and his friends at the Ruth Eriksson Elementary in Canton, Michigan, ended with him being charged with aggravated assault by the Wayne County Juvenile Court.
Speaking with WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit, Bryce’s mother, Cameishi Lindley said she was surprised when she received a call from the court to inform her her son is facing charges for intentionally throwing a ball at his white playmate’s face, injuring him in the process.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
She added that the game in question is similar to dodgeball but involves the ball being thrown in the air instead.
“These kids are basically playing a game we all have played,” she added.
The injured boy’s mother, however, told WXYZ her son, who suffered a concussion after the incident has a medical condition that makes him sustaining head injuries dangerous.
“He sustained facial issue damage to his face. He had a black eye and a bruised nose,” she said.
She also claimed that wasn’t the first time her son had been hit and justified the incident being reported to authorities.
“I tried not to let it get to this point,” she said.
“My son was hit twice in the face with a ball previously due to this. The child apologized to my son and my son said ‘mom it’s okay we’re still going to be friends’.”
Lindley, who was of the view the case should have been settled outside court said she and her son weren’t aware of the boy’s medical condition, suggesting he shouldn’t have been allowed to be playing that kind of game in the first place because of his health.
“I am unaware of any of those situations,” Lindley told WXYZ. “I’m sorry that her child got hurt. I’d be sorry for any child that got hurt.”
Lindley also feels the one-day suspension her son received as punishment in the aftermath of the incident should have been enough.
“This is a kid that was playing on the playground with his friends,” she said.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled to take place on August 1. Lindley has set up a fundraiser on Facebook to help raise funds to cover her son’s legal fees.
