Photo: Getty Images
A New Jersey school bus monitor has been sentenced after a six-year-old child choked to death on her wheelchair restraints while she scrolled on Instagram.
According to PEOPLE, 28-year-old Amanda Davila was sentenced to three years of prison in connection to the July 2023 death of six-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams.
Williams got on the bus in Franklin Township, New Jersey on the morning of her death and was properly strapped to her wheelchair by her older sister, but Davila failed to securely anchor the chair to the bus and use the shoulder and lap belt. As the bus moved, Fajr “slid down in her wheelchair and was strangled to death by her wheelchair harness,” Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald previously said in a statement.
Surveillance footage showed that Davila had headphones on and was scrolling through Instagram, listening to music, and going through text messages while Williams choked to death.
Fajr “struggled violently for her life, flailing her arms and legs," authorities said. Footage showed the six-year-old also "[making] a shriek or gasp and at one point kicked the window of the bus."
Fajr struggled for more than 10 minutes before Davila picked up on the situation. Fahr was born with Emanuel syndrome, a chromosome disorder that rendered her unable to speak. Her mom noted, however, that she can still make sounds.
Davila was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child but found not guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.