A 13-year-old Staten Island boy took his own life this week, and his family shared a letter he wrote accusing administrators at his Brooklyn Catholic school of repeatedly ignoring his bullying complaints.
Danny Fitzpatrick, 13, hanged himself on Thursday in his family's attic. Danny's family shared a note with the Daily News that Fitzpatrick wrote but never sent, detailing the bullying he received from five other students at Holy Angels Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge. In the letter, Fitzpatrick explained that the five students bullied him until he got into a fight, but that teachers at the school "didn't do ANYTHING" when he reported the bullying. "I wanted to get out — I failed but I didn’t care I was out that’s all that matters," he wrote in the note.
In addition to the five students who ganged up on him, Fitzpatrick's parents told the News that a teacher at Holy Angels called Fitzpatrick "lazy" in front of the class, and that the Holy Cross administration recommended he try another school rather than confront the bullying themselves. "In light of this tragedy we are reexamining all bullying prevention policies and training,” a Brooklyn/Queens Diocese spokeswoman said in a statement.
His father, Daniel Fitzpatrick, released an emotional video on Facebook, thanking people for supporting the family and said Danny had "a heart of gold." His family also set up a GoFundMe page to "give Daniel a proper memorial, as well as shine a bright light on the bullying that killed him."
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
