Ronin Shimizu Cheerleader: 12-Year-Old Ronin Shimizu Commits Suicide After Being Bullied For Being A Cheerleader
Ronin Shimizu was a cheerleader at Folsom Middle School in California. The 12-year-old boy really seemed to like being on the squad, but some of the other kids at his school didn’t approve of his choice of extracurricular activity. According to Mail Online, Ronin was bullied for being a cheerleader and ended up killing himself because of it.
Folsom Middle School mourning after 12-year-old Ronin Shimizu committed suicide. Friends say he was bullied. pic.twitter.com/qNQZZLwQS9
— Derek Shore (@DerekShore) December 5, 2014
“The school district has confirmed that the boy’s parents, who also have a younger son, complained on multiple occasions that he was being bullied and officials said that they followed protocol. But friends say that the taunting continued. He recently left Folsom Middle School to be home schooled,” Mail Online reports.
Last year, Ronin Shimizu was the only male cheerleader on the school’s squad, and for that, he was ridiculed. On Wednesday, his parents found him dead. Officials are looking further into the case and have been in contact with the school in order to find out when Ronin’s parents made complaints and to see what was done about those complaints.
“Any allegations bullying related to this specific incident, we’re certainly reviewing how we responded to those and we’ll use that as an opportunity to always take a look at how we respond to future allegations,” said Daniel Thigpen of the Folsom County School District.
According to CBS Sacramento, an unnamed source said that students called Ronin “gay” because he was on the squad. Students at the school say that those who had been bullying Ronin were told that he killed himself, and they have “learned a lesson” about how “words hurt.” Grief counselors have been made available at the school this week for any student that needs help coping with this tragedy.
“I didn’t see why people would tease him because he was so nice,” said a fellow cheerleader.
Children who are bullied often develop depression. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a 13-year-old boy committed suicide last month after being bullied for years. Peyton James was found by his parents and resuscitated by EMT’s, but fell into a coma and needed to be placed on life support. His family made the decision to turn off the machine five days later. Peyton was made fun of for his appearance and for his personality.
Ronin Shimizu may have been a cheerleader, but he wasn’t the only male cheerleader in the world. There are plenty of boys/men who enjoy the sport, and most people don’t see a problem with that at all. Unfortunately, some children did and made it a point to tell Ronin about it until it completely destroyed him on the inside.
[Photo courtesy of News 10 video screen capture]
