Gerrard Kaonga
Here's everything we know about what happened to Jessica McLaughlin after she was taken off life support following an incident at work where a store manager 'sat on her'.
On June 24, McLaughlin was working her shift at 7-Eleven in a Los Angeles, California store, where she was allegedly attacked by an unidentified female store manager who 'sat on her' during the altercation.
The 24-year-old's brother, Sean McLaughlin, told his sister's story in a GoFundMe message, where he claimed she had been 'violently and senselessly attacked by one of her managers'.
He wrote: "She held her down, sat on top of her, and didn't let her breathe. While some coworkers tried to help and stop it, they were attacked too.
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"When she finally got free, she collapsed. She wasn't breathing."
The family further allege that the store manager also pulled Jessica's hair, and that they'd tried to 'delete security footage of the incident' while Jessica's co-workers gave her CPR, before fleeing on their bike.
According to The Los Angeles Times, police said the alleged altercation had started as a verbal dispute before turning physical.
The LAPD also said they were dispatched to the store where Jessica was found unconscious on the shop floor.
Her father, Clancey McLaughlin, told KTLA on Monday (July 1) that his daughter's brain was oxygen-starved for more than 10 minutes, adding: "She’s basically declared brain-dead now."
Jessica was taken to hospital after she got free and asked her co-workers to call 911, according to her family. She was put on a life support machine, but her 'brain had stopped functioning'.
Sean continued: "After getting second opinions and doing everything we could, we have to make the impossible decision to let her go."
The LAPD have since launched an investigation, confirming that it was being treated as a homicide, however, no arrests have been made yet.
They said in a statement: “Preliminary information indicated that two women became involved in a verbal dispute inside the business that escalated into a physical confrontation.
"Investigators have obtained video evidence of the incident but are not releasing it at this time."
7-Eleven also shared a statement following the incident, telling UNILAD: "Our hearts are with those impacted during this difficult time. The suspect has been terminated, and we continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement in their investigation."
The GoFundMe page, which was started by Sean, said that the money being donated would be going towards the funeral for Jessica.