12-year-old boy dies weeks after bullies land him in the hospital

A bullying incident that occurred in January turned tragic when the victim died this past Sunday. 12-year-old Bailey O'Neil from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had been beat up by two boys in school and suffered seizures weeks after the incident. O'Neil's parents took him to the hospital, where doctor's medically induced a coma to stop the seizures.

Sadly, O'Neil died on Sunday, just one day after his 12^th birthday after suffering from further medical complications. The investigation of the attack at Darby Township School is still ongoing, but one thing for sure is the victim's family has the support of Baltimore.

It's heartbreaking to learn that this boy lost his life to bullying. This just proves that the government needs to take bullying more seriously and grant harsher punishments to those who commit these heinous crimes--no matter how young they are. It's obvious that boys at the age of 12 or 11 are aware that what they are doing is wrong and they need to face the consquences of their actions.

Read more ¿Qué más?: Bully leaves 11-year-old boy in a coma after schoolyard fight

According to the U.K Daily Mail, the boy suffered from pneumonia and had to have a blood transfusion which complicated his situation and quite possibly lead to his death. As for the bullies who attacked O'Neil, they were suspended for two days from the school as police continue investigating the confrontation. O'Neil's parents want the boys to be punished and think it's taken too long to do so. They have also taken their youngest son out of school for fear that he too would be a target for bullying. A Facebook page titled, "Building Hope for Bailey"  has also been created for those wanting to show support to the O'Neil family. The tragic incident even drew the attention of Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice who is standing up against bullying.

The player took to his Facebook and wrote:

I don't think I will ever be able to understand why kids bully each other and how we are all sitting here after yet another "bully death" getting ready to go through this difficult task of picking up the pieces and the even more difficult task of forgiving so we can heal.

He also added that he thinks bullying should be considered a crime instead of being called a 'playground incident.' His message emphasized that something has to be done and that it can't be taken lightly anymore. 

I couldn't agree more with Rice as bullying has spiraled out of control in this country. And it's no longer the stereotypical bullies you see on TV who steal your lunch money. Instead it's kids causing harm out of malice and in many instances killing their victims or inflicting deadly injuries upon them. This issue needs to be taken more seriously and those kids who bully need to be given the help and punishment that they deserve.

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