Family Says Bullying at School Led 11-Year-Old Girl to Kill Herself

The family of 11-year-old Toni Rivers said the South Carolina girl took her own life on Oct. 25 after she was bullied at her Hampton County elementary school.

A Hampton County Sheriff's Office incident report obtained by WTOC says deputies arrived at a home at 4:19 p.m. Wednesday after Toni's 14-year-old sister called 911. Deputies found Toni lying on her back. They reported that Toni had a gunshot wound and the shooting happened less than two hours before deputies arrived.

Toni was rushed to a hospital in Charleston and her family stayed with her for 72 hours before doctors told them "she wasn't here anymore."

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Maria Peterson, Toni's aunt, told WTOC that the girl shot herself when she came home from school. She told her aunt that she told five of her school friends "that she just couldn't do this anymore, and she was going home and she was killing herself."

Robert "Red" Thomas told WTOC the gun Toni used was her own. Her family regularly shoots, but this was the first time Toni ever used the weapon without her family knowing.

Two days before the shooting, Toni's mother, Amy Thomas, called her daughter's school to talk about bullying. She said she'd been talking to the school about it since September.

Miranda Cook, whose daughter was close friends with Toni, said she also called the school about bullying "several times."

"The child still continues to bully, making comments [like] 'you're ugly,'" Cook told WTOC. "She [Kyra] actually got shoved into a bookcase and had her head hurt, and when she came home, she told me it was the same child that had been bullying her. But she said, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' as soon as she as she realized she was hurt."

In a statement from the school, Hampton County School District 1 Superintendent Ronald Wilcox said the Hampton One family mourns the loss of one of their own.

"Our sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends affected by this tragedy. Counselors have been made available and will continue to be available to offer any needed support. Student matters are confidential and we believe it would be inappropriate to comment further on this tragic incident," Wilcox wrote.

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On Oct. 30, Peterson started a GoFundMe account to help Toni's family afford medical bills and funeral costs. So far, just over $1,700 has been raised from 38 donors. Peterson hopes to one day help get a "Toni's Law" passed.

"We have to band together to make sure we start protecting our children today," Peterson wrote on GoFundMe. "We have to fight for our children today."