A 9-year-old boy has killed himself after being the target of extensive bullying at his school in Denver, Colorado, according to a report by KDVR TV.
Leia Pierce, the boy's mother, says her son was victimized by bullies after he announced to his classmates that he was gay.
Jamel Myles, who started fourth grade at Shoemaker Elementary School, first talked to his mother about his sexual orientation over the summer.
Pierce said her son first told her he was gay when she was in the car with him. Thinking his son was joking at first, Pierce said that she realized the boy was serious after noticing how scared he was.
"I still love you," Pierce said, supporting her son's decision.
After talking with his mother, Myles said he was going to tell his friends because he was "proud of himself."
But only four days after the school's start, Pierce found her son dead in their home on Thursday.
"Four days is all it took at school. I could just imagine what they said to him… My son told my oldest daughter the kids at school told him to kill himself," Pierce said to KDVR TV.
Following Jamel's death, Denver Public Schools announced that extra social workers were provided for students in order to offer additional counseling services.
Denver police said Jamel's death was being investigated as a suicide.