Story perspectives

Police Find No Foul Play in Student’s Balcony Death

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Los Angeles police investigated a student’s death after he fell from a fourth-floor balcony at Benjamin Franklin High School.
A classroom fight earlier that day included a student punching the victim.
The school locked down for about three hours while officers found no evidence of foul play.
Principal Marine Davtyan said privacy laws prevented releasing the student’s identity.
A Thursday vigil raised over $52,000 on GoFundMe for the victim.

History

Historical Context

On April 20 1999, seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 students and a teacher and wounding 23. The tragedy spurred the adoption of the Immediate Action Rapid Deployment tactic and a wave of zero-tolerance security measures in schools nationwide, a trend that persisted through later shootings such as Sandy Hook in 2012.

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Story summary

Los Angeles police investigated a student’s death after he fell from a fourth-floor balcony at Benjamin Franklin High School.
A classroom fight earlier that day included a student punching the victim.
The school locked down for about three hours while officers found no evidence of foul play.
Principal Marine Davtyan said privacy laws prevented releasing the student’s identity.
A Thursday vigil raised over $52,000 on GoFundMe for the victim.

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