Attorney cites bullying in Seminole County teen's suicide at school

Middle school student found dead on Lake Mary campus

LAKE MARY, Fla. – The attorney representing the family of a 14-year-old who shot and killed himself at a Seminole County middle school said the boy was bullied for many years leading up to his death.

Attorney Matt Morgan and the boy's family will hold a news conference Monday to further discuss the case.

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Morgan said on Friday that the Greenwood Lakes Middle School student was, "a small child due to health complications at an early age. This made him an easy target for cruel and mean-spirited bullies."

Morgan said the student was bullied when the family lived in New York and came to Florida looking for their kids to have some peace, but Morgan said the bullying continued.

"The conduct of these bullies is morally reprehensible," Morgan said. "Bullying has become an epidemic in our country which needs to be recognized and acted upon."

Seminole County sheriff's deputies said the 14-year-old student's mother went to Greenwood Lakes Middle School to pick him up around 5 p.m. Wednesday but was unable to find him. She returned home and family members searched for the boy before reporting him missing to law enforcement a couple of hours later.

Deputies conducted an extensive search of the school and surrounding neighborhoods, and the boy was found dead inside a bathroom stall with a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.

Deputies said on Friday that the handgun used in the suicide belonged to the boy's father. Details on how the boy was able to obtain the gun are still under investigation.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is conducting a death investigation. Deputies are also interviewing teachers and students who may have witnessed the bullying, along with investigating social media.

Rebecca Sedwick's mother, Tricia Norman, will attend the Monday news conference to support the family, Morgan said. Norman said her daughter recently committed suicide after being bullied.