A six-year-old boy whose throat was slashed by his own mother in April collapsed and died suddenly in the lunch line of his Bronx school on Friday – and police believe his death was caused by a ‘pre-existing injury’.
The little boy, who has not been publicly named, fell unconscious inside the PS 5 Port Morris School at around 11:30am, with eye witnesses claiming he struck his head on the way down and had blood pouring from his mouth.
Paramedics rushed to the scene to calls of an unresponsive child, where they attempted to resuscitate the boy in the middle of a busy cafeteria.
He was then transferred to the Lincoln Medical Center in a critical condition before sadly dying shortly after his arrival.
The little boy (pictured left with his mother Shanice Martin), who has not been publicly named, fell unconscious inside the PS 5 Port Morris School at around 11:30am, with eye witnesses claiming he struck his head on the way down and had blood pouring from his mouth
Paramedics rushed to the scene to calls of an unresponsive child, where they attempted to resuscitate the boy in the middle of a busy cafeteria of the PS 5 Port Morris School (above)
Video courtesy PIX 11
Authorities say the boy suffered a severe medical episode, which included foaming at the mouth.
They believe the episode was triggered by a pre-existing and unhealed injury.
‘[He] was getting lunch and suddenly he just passed out,’ said fifth-grader Jason Nunez, to the NY Post. ‘He hit his head. The blood was coming out of his mouth.’
An employee of the school told the NY Daily News that it was only the boy’s second day at PS 5 Port Morris.
‘He was standing in line for lunch. He hadn’t eaten yet and he suddenly collapsed. We don’t know what happened,’ she said.
The victim, as well as his two-year-old sister, had their throats slashed with a razor-blade by their mother Shanice Martin, 24, on a New York City sidewalk in April.
Authorities say the boy suffered a severe medical episode, which included foaming at the mouth. They believe the episode was triggered by a pre-existing and unhealed injury
The victim, as well as his two-year-old sister, had their throats slashed with a razor-blade by their mother Shanice Martin, 24, on a New York City sidewalk in April
Martin walked away from the scene leaving her children for dead as panicked pedestrian’s scrambled to flag down passing police cruisers.
Both of the children’s throats were said to have been cut from ‘ear to ear’, authorities later revealed.
Minutes later, a blood soaked Martin emerged through the doors of the of the 42nd Precinct station-house clutching the same razor urging officers to ‘go ahead and arrest me’.
The troubled mother is said to have struggled with a number of mental health issues and had previously been homeless, her family claimed.
Police sources claimed that Martin was ‘covered in blood’ and ‘made incriminating statements’ about how she harmed her children.
She was charged with a host of charges including assault, child abandonment and child endangerment as a result of the April 27 incident.
A blood soaked Martin emerged through the doors of the of the 42nd Precinct station-house on April 27, clutching the same razor she used to cut her childrens’ throats with, urging officers to ‘go ahead and arrest me’
Martin remains in custody without bail. It’s unclear who the boy had been living with at the time of his death.
On Friday, the school’s principal Danielle Keane sent a letter home to parents informing them that a student ‘passed away’ suddenly during lunch hour.
‘Several students witnessed what occurred,’ the letter read. “We know how devastating this news is for our school community. Our school crisis team is available to provide support for students and staff as needed.
‘We are saddened by this loss and are here to assist our school community in any way we can.
Police say the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office will work to determine the boy’s specific cause of death.