Family of boy accused in Ardrey Kell High assault denies hate crime, alleges bullying
The family of an Ardrey Kell High School student accused of assaulting a Muslim classmate spoke out for the first time Thursday and rejected accusations the incident was a hate crime.
The boy’s family said the situation was not motivated by race or culture as the victim’s family alleged, according a statement issued through a public relations firm. Instead, the female victim engaged in “direct, incessant bullying” and assaulted their son first, which they said led to “a classroom fight between two students” on March 7.
Both students are 15 years old. Neither family has disclosed their child’s name.
“Despite his witnessed attempts to de-escalate her threatening actions for nearly ten minutes, she still chose violence — making it necessary for him to defend himself,” the boy’s family said. “As a family of color who works to raise our children with strong moral values, we can say with confidence of our son and from witnesses that no racially derogatory terms were used during this encounter, and the altercation was fully instigated by the female student.”
Their account contradicts what the victim’s family said during a March 12 news conference. Their daughter was assaulted for wearing a hijab after days of anti-Muslim bullying, they said.
“The young man who happened to be an Ardrey Kell football player seemed to have plenty of hate and be filled with intent,” Jibril Hough, a leader and advocate with the Islamic Center of Charlotte, said at the news conference. “He called our sister the b-word, the n-word, and told her to go back to her country. ... This is her own country. She was born and raised here.”
The female student was transported to the hospital and treated for her injuries, which included multiple broken bones in her face and jaw, Hough said.
The boy’s family said their attempts to mediate the conflict “have gone ignored” as the victim’s family continues “to fuel a false narrative.” The family saw harassment and threats as a result, the public relations statement said.
They thanked the school and police for their support and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg chapter of the NAACP and the Fruit of Islam, which is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam, for trying to mediate.
Ardrey Kell is located in Ballantyne and serves more than 3,500 students, making it one of the largest high schools in North Carolina, according to its website.
Abhijay Bhosale, an Ardrey Kell student, told The Charlotte Observer “rhetoric spread through social media” and people who weren’t there are defining what people know about the alleged assault. The Observer’s attempts to talk to people who witnessed the incident directly have not been successful.
Both students were suspended for 10 days, according to the victim’s family. They are working to appeal her suspension, but the girl won’t return to Ardrey Kell, the girl’s family said.
Her family said during the March 12 news conference they are “very likely” to sue Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools over how it handled the situation. They alleged CMS requested the girl’s mother take her to the hospital and did not immediately call an ambulance.
CMS said Ardrey Kell High School followed its protocols correctly.
“Ardrey Kell High School followed all policies and procedures as outlined in the board policy manual and student code of conduct,” CMS Chief Operations Officer Tim Ivey said at a separate news conference on March 12. “The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department school resource officer assigned to Ardrey Kell High School was present at the scene and immediately initiated the appropriate investigative processes.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department sent the school resource officer’s incident report to the FBI to investigate whether the assault was a hate crime.
Reporter Rebecca Noel contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM.
