Victim Began Fatal Fight, Detectives Say

PALMDALE — The boy who was killed in a fistfight with another student at a middle school last month picked the fight with the other boy during class and threw the first punch once they got outside, according to accounts gathered by sheriff’s detectives.

Students who saw the Nov. 19 scuffle at Juniper Intermediate School told authorities that Stephan Corson slugged the other student, who has not been publicly identified, as soon as he stepped out of the classroom, county Sheriff’s Sgt. Barry Wish said Thursday.

The other boy fought back, socking Stephan in the face and knocking him to the pavement. Stephan went into convulsions.

“From what kids told us, Stephan was the aggressor,” said Wish, the lead detective on the case.

The detective’s comments are the first clear account of how the fight started, but Wish emphasized that the case will remain open until final autopsy results are available, which aren’t expected for several weeks.

Stephan’s family said they can’t believe he started the fight. They have urged authorities to charge the other boy with involuntary manslaughter.

A decision on whether charges will be filed won’t be made until the autopsy is finished, said officials with the Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s office. If Stephan died by hitting his head on the ground, it’s likely his death will be ruled an accident and no charges will be filed, Wish said.