The teenager who allegedly punched fellow Benjamin Franklin High School student Xavier Nungarary before he went over a campus balcony to his death could be arrested, as Los Angeles Police Department detectives interview witnesses and examine evidence in the case.
Nungarary, 17, died Wednesday after jumping from a fourth-floor platform at Benjamin Franklin High School in Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood, an LAPD source said. The incident has prompted an intensive police investigation.
Detectives from the LAPD’s Northeast Division are speaking with students, school administrators and others who were present when Nungarary jumped from the school balcony, according to the source.
Investigators are also talking with parents about the alleged confrontation that reportedly took place before Nungarary’s death. Police are searching for additional video and reviewing footage they have already obtained.
“Detectives are conducting a thorough investigation,” said the LAPD source, who spoke with The California Post on condition of anonymity.
The investigation could result in arrests, the source added.
Video recorded by bystanders appears to show Nungaray being punched by a suspected bully before he ran from a classroom and jumped over a fourth-floor railing onto the concrete below.
Nungarary’s family has released emotional photographs of the teenager while raising money to help with funeral costs and ease some of the family’s financial strain.
“Losing a child is an unimaginable pain, and this family is now facing the emotional weight of grief while also trying to make arrangements to honor his life,” the family wrote. “Lilia shared that their son was a beautiful, caring, and loving boy who meant so much to the people around him. His passing has left a deep void in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.”
Nungarary was a senior at the Highland Park school when he died. Officials found him at the scene and rushed him to a hospital, but he could not be revived.
Family members and friends held a tribute for Nungarary on Thursday. His stepmother told CBS LA that he had been bullied by other students throughout high school but was “hesitant to speak up.”
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“He was scared that he was gonna end up getting punished instead of the bullies,” she said.
LAPD officials have said there is no evidence so far that Nungarary’s death resulted from foul play. However, the student who allegedly punched him could still face charges and arrest, according to the Post’s police source.
A clearer determination may follow after the Los Angeles Medical Examiner rules on the teenager’s cause and manner of death.
Students returned to Franklin High School on Thursday, where mental health support and other resources were made available. Several students apparently witnessed Nungarary jump from the fourth floor, while some also saw his body below.
A parent whose daughter knew Nungarary described him as a “really nice kid.” The girl decided to remain at home Thursday.
“You think that being at school, they’re safe,” Eleo Rolon told NBC LA. “She told me he was a really nice kid. Very quiet.”
Some families have criticized the school for reopening the day after Nungarary’s death, saying the community was not given enough time to grieve.
“The district needs to be held accountable,” one parent told KTLA. “The school should have been closed today.”
“They should have respected that one person — human, child, someone’s child,” another parent said.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Unified School District didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
