Lexington family seeks justice for the unexpected death of their 17-year-old son (2024)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington teenager unexpectedly died last week after an incident at his high school. Now, the family has spent Mother's Day mourning and seeking answers.

Irene Mwele and other family members were brought to their knees at the University of Kentucky hospital on Friday, where 17-year-old Emmanuel Emeka was pronounced dead following a seizure that he suffered during class.

When Irene arrived at the hospital, she explains, she "just saw a lot of doctors around him and trying to save him and a lot of police officers," explains Irene.

Emmanuel's 9-year-old brother Fabien Iyeli says,"My hearts like, it's almost like he was never really like alive. Like he was my best friend."

While Emmanuel's 14-year-old sister, Ndaya Emeka, says, "I thought they was lying but then when I came in here I saw everybody crying so then I started crying."

"It hurts. It still hurts. Even being in his house or just in my house in the living because he is just there. Nothing feels the same like it used to," describes Modoul Danso, Emmanuel's best friend. "It's just he played a big part in all of our lives. We just miss him. It don't feel the same anymore."

Irene never would have imagined that morning was the last time she would kiss her son goodbye.

According to witnesses, an alleged fight broke out at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, somehow involving Emmanuel. After the fight was broken up, one of the kids hit him on the back of the head, and then everyone was sent back to class. Sometime later, Emmanuel suffered a seizure and was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

"The school is like a second family to him, so they are supposed to take responsibility when she's not around to know. And she wants to have that communication with them, so they can tell her what happened exactly with her son," explains Irene.

Fayette County Public Schools claims no fight broke out, and Emmanuel suffered a medical emergency.

Irene claims the last time she received a call from the school was at 10:55 a.m. when they told her there was an emergency. The school has not called back to check on her or explain what happened to her son since. She feels like the school neglected her son and just wants the closure she deserves.

"He was never sick, he was an energized person," Modoul solemnly explains, "Always had a smile on his face. Kind to everybody. Always moving around. Never had signs of any sickness or anything like that."

"He was like, he was the best brother, pretty much. If I needed help with something, he would help me. If I needed, like if my mood changed, he would know before anybody else and if I needed help with school stuff he would do it," says Ndaya.

Fabien talks about how he could always lean on his brother for help: "If I was having a bad mood, he would talk to me. He was like my sibling therapist. He would comfort me sometimes."

His family describes Emmanuel as an honest person with a big heart who always sacrificed for others. He was even on track to graduate in two weeks, and was accepted into Elizabeth Community and Technology College with big plans moving forward.

"He have his paper, he was accepted into the college. He was talking about the college, how happy and excited he is to leave high school, to start a new life," says Modoul.

When asked what Emmanuel's best piece of advice was, Ndaya recalls, "It's okay to fail; just take another step forward."

EMS Captain Tom Work with the Lexington Fire Department State 1 says if you think you have a traumatic brain injury, pay close attention to these symptoms: nausea, vomiting, headache, lethargy, dizziness, and repetitive questions. You must seek help immediately.

Work also states that no matter how minor the injury may be, if you've been hit in the head, they will always send you to the hospital for a more in-depth look to check off all the boxes and get you home safe.

A GoFundMe has been set up for Emmanuel and has since raised over $10,000.

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