Only On 9: Parents Of Alleged Norman North Rape Victim Share Their Story

<p>The parents of the 12-year-old boy allegedly raped by Norman North wrestlers are speaking about the investigation and sharing their story after seeing the school's surveillance video.&nbsp;</p>

Friday, February 5th 2016, 11:02 pm

By: News 9


The parents of the 12-year-old boy allegedly raped by Norman North wrestlers are speaking about the investigation and sharing their story after seeing the school's surveillance video.

They said what happened to their son in the video was sadistic and disturbing. And they could never prepare themselves enough for what they saw on Friday.

For their son's protection, News 9 is concealing their identities.

“I prepared myself for what I was going to see and still just as a mom preparing yourself, you don't want to see your child kid dragged to the back of bus, held down, you see a kid you see it clear as day,” said the boy’s mother.

It took almost two days for the 12-year-old boy to tell his parents about what he says four older boys did to him on the bus as they returned from a wrestling tournament in Pauls Valley.

“He said, ‘Mom bad things happened on the bus.’ and I said ‘What do you mean bad things? You have to be more specific,’” said the boy’s mother.

The boy's mother said what happened to her son that day went beyond hazing. After watching the video on Friday, she has no doubt her son was raped.

“He said, ‘Well some of the older kids dragged me in the back of the bus’. And he said, ‘They held me down and one covered my mouth and he put a condom on his finger and shoved it up my butt,’” she said.

The boy told his mom he tried to escape from the upperclassmen but they pulled him back. She said in the video it shows the attacks continue as they dragged her son off the bus violently in front of two coaches.

“He said, ‘After the bus, you know, they pulled me to the side and they tried to do it again. And then they tackled me in between some cars’. He was able to bite one of them and get away,” she said.

Escaping to safety, his mother said, just as the boy's father arrived at the school to take him home.

“What they did was f**** up,” his father said. “He's just a little boy. He's a 12-year-old little kid. He doesn't have any arm hair, under arm hair. He's just a little kid. He still plays video games and watches Disney with his sister.”

Tanner Shipman, 18, Sage Gandenberger, 17, Chase Smith, 16, and Hunter Matthews, 17, were charged Monday for allegedly raping this boy and a 16-year-old wrestler on the bus that day.

2/2/16 Related Story: Norman North HS Wrestlers Make First Court Appearance

“This is rape. It's not hazing. It's not horseplay. It's completely disgusting,” said the boy’s father.

Norman Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Siano released another statement on new procedures the schools will implement as a result of this incident:

“We will not tolerate individuals who victimize our students. Upon notification of the incident we immediately began an investigation and within hours suspended students involved, dismissed one coach and suspended a second coach pending an investigation. The second coach’s employment with the district has since been terminated and suspended students are being disciplined by the school to the fullest extent of the law. We have also strengthened our student activity travel procedures and now require increased supervision on all student trips, supervisors to be seated in areas where they can see students at all times, procedures to be reinforced with expanded training sessions and increased video surveillance equipment on district buses. In addition, we continue to implement sexual assault prevention education programs in our schools and previously implemented procedures have prepared us to take swift action in these cases. Our hearts break for these victims and our student advocacy coordinators are working closely with them through this traumatic time.”

All four wrestlers will appear in court on April 14, they've also been suspended from school.

These parents have a lot more to share, News 9 will have that in the coming days.

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