“Our community is devastated to learn that one of our students has passed away following an incident on Sunday night,” said Kenneth Salim, superintendent of the Cambridge Public Schools. The 15-year-old girl was reportedly thrown to the ground on Cambridge Street around 6:30 Sunday evening, causing her to hit her head. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition and died Monday afternoon. CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge Rindge and Latin School offered grief counseling for students Tuesday, a day after one of its students died from injuries sustained in an apparent assault, as investigators asked for the public’s help in identifying someone seen in the area on a bicycle at the time. Advertisement “Words cannot express the depth of our sorrow for this loss.” Salim said school administrators “have been reaching out personally to those affected by this tragedy, and grief counseling has been available at the high school today and will be again tomorrow.” The teenager was walking to a friend’s house when she was shoved, the authorities said. They have not identified the victim. They said they would provide more information after the state’s medical examiner’s office determined the cause of death. The girl’s death touched off an outpouring of condolences. “So incredibly sad,” Cambridge Mayor Marc C. McGovern posted on Twitter. “My heart breaks for this young girl and her family.” Residents and business owners said the bustling area where the girl was attacked is normally safe and said they were unnerved by her death. “I’m shocked,” said Mariam Maxine Davis, 54, who appeared shaken. “My God.” A bartender at Portugalia Restaurant, located steps from the site of the attack, said police came by and asked for customer receipts in an effort to track down potential witnesses. “It’s a shock,” he said, identifying himself only as John. “To know [the attack happened] at that time of day, on the weekend, that’s still full-on daylight. It’s hard to believe nobody saw anything.” Advertisement Soun Chheou, owner of Souper Roll Up Cafe across the street, said his restaurant was closed at the time of the attack. “Sad,” he said. “Somebody got killed for no reason.” Natalie Heffelfinger, 77, a resident of a nearby apartment complex for the elderly and disabled, said the girl’s death was deeply sad. “I felt bad for her,” she said. Another tenant lamented the violence that he said seems to be everywhere nowadays. “There’s a lot of trouble in the world,” said the 87-year-old man. “This whole world needs to be changed.” Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.<doc-sep>Robinson, a student at Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School, would have turned 16 in September, her family said. “She was a very smart young lady, and very responsible,” her family wrote in a statement. “She was loved by many.” Under gray skies, more than 100 people walked along a Cambridge street Wednesday night in memory of 15-year-old Richelle Robinson, who died after suffering an apparent assault Sunday evening while walking to a friend’s house. “She had future plans to become an Emergency Medical Technician,” the statement said. “She loved to dance and she loved makeup and getting her nails done.” Advertisement Her family organized the walk that started at 6:15 p.m. from the Lechmere MBTA Station. Former Cambridge mayor E. Denise Simmons comforted the family as she walked alongside them. Cambridge Mayor Marc C. McGovern also took part, along with Robinson’s high school classmates and former teachers at Cambridge Upper School. The walk ended nearly a mile away at Warren Street, near the spot where Robinson was allegedly shoved to the ground. Some left flowers and teddy bears there. More than a dozen candles were lit in her memory. “As we stand here in the light of Richelle, we stand as one,” said Wayne Delevoux, a family friend and minister, said as the walk reached Warren Street. “She was always joyous — funny.” Cambridge police and the Middlesex district attorney’s office are investigating her death. Prosecutors said they are looking to identify witnesses and learn the identity of a person seen riding a bicycle in the area. Authorities have not identified Robinson, but her family authorized a close friend, DerriniQue Coleman, to identify her to the media. Damon Smith, the principal of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, gave a hug to Celia Wilcox, the mother of Richelle Robinson. Katherine Taylor for The Boston Globe Coleman and her sister, Johnetta, 18, of Cambridge said they grew up with Richelle and consider themselves sisters to her. They walked alongside Richelle’s mother and sister, KeyOndra Wilcox, 28. Advertisement Mourners were asked to dress in purple, Robinson’s favorite color. Her mother carried a purple towel. “Rest in paradise Richelle” was written on the front of one shirt. Her friends and classmates hugged and cried along the way. Some held hands, others held flowers. “It’s a really hard thing to accept and understand,” said Connie Henderson, one of Richelle’s eighth-grade teachers at Cambridge Upper School. Robinson was friendly, liked to chat, loved her friends — and was very organized. She kept a color-coded notebook, Henderson recalled. Betsy Preval, her seventh-grade teacher, recalled Richelle’s smile, sense of fairness, and loyalty to friends. Richelle had “a lot of dreams for the future,” Preval said. Kendal Schwarz, her eighth-grade math teacher, remembered Richelle as a determined student, who was “ready and eager to learn.” Robinson was “a beam of light in the classroom,” she said. Travis Andersen of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Jackson Cote can be reached at jackson.cote@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jackson_K_Cote<doc-sep>'Loved by many:' Family IDs teen who died after being pushed to ground A Cambridge teen who died after hitting her head after police said she was pushed to the ground is being remembered by her family as "very smart" and "loved by many. "The teen has been identified by her family as Richelle Robinson, 15.Police say the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School student was walking to an acquaintance's house in Cambridge Sunday evening when the incident happened.Robinson was hospitalized and pronounced dead around 2:45 p.m. Monday. "She was a very smart young lady,and very responsible. She was loved by many," her family said in a statement to WCVB. "She had future plans to become an emergency medical technician. She would have celebrated her birthday 16th birthday in September. She loved to dance and she loved makeup and getting her nails done. "Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said it is unclear at this point if it was a targeted or random attack. "At some point, (she) is seen being thrown to the ground on Cambridge street around the 700 block," Ryan said. "And then folks rush over to help, she's bleeding, obviously needing emergency care, she's taken to the hospital and did not survive her injuries. "The medical examiner's office is investigating the girl's cause and manner of death.No arrests have been made and a police investigation is ongoing.Police are handling out fliers and asking witnesses to contact them and hope to identify a person seen in the area on a bicycle. A Cambridge teen who died after hitting her head after police said she was pushed to the ground is being remembered by her family as "very smart" and "loved by many." The teen has been identified by her family as Richelle Robinson, 15. Advertisement Police say the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School student was walking to an acquaintance's house in Cambridge Sunday evening when the incident happened. Robinson was hospitalized and pronounced dead around 2:45 p.m. Monday. "She was a very smart young lady,and very responsible. She was loved by many," her family said in a statement to WCVB. "She had future plans to become an emergency medical technician. She would have celebrated her birthday 16th birthday in September. She loved to dance and she loved makeup and getting her nails done." Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said it is unclear at this point if it was a targeted or random attack. "At some point, (she) is seen being thrown to the ground on Cambridge street around the 700 block," Ryan said. "And then folks rush over to help, she's bleeding, obviously needing emergency care, she's taken to the hospital and did not survive her injuries." The medical examiner's office is investigating the girl's cause and manner of death. No arrests have been made and a police investigation is ongoing. Police are handling out fliers and asking witnesses to contact them and hope to identify a person seen in the area on a bicycle.<doc-sep>
The apparent assault took place as the victim was walking Sunday evening. A 15-year-old girl from a famed Cambridge, Massachusetts, school has died after she was shoved to the ground in a mysterious assault, prosecutors said. Now investigators are looking for answers. The girl was walking to "an acquaintance's house" in Cambridge at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday when she was thrown to the ground, hitting her head, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said. She was hospitalized in critical condition and died Monday afternoon, prosecutors said. Her name was not released by officials but ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston said she was a student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are just two of the school's notable alumni. "Our community is devastated to learn that one of our students has passed away following an incident on Sunday night," Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Kenneth Salim said in a statement Tuesday. "Words cannot express the depth of our sorrow for this loss. The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School principal, administrators and staff "have been reaching out personally to those affected by this tragedy," the superintendent said, adding that grief counseling is available. "During difficult times such as this, we partner with numerous agencies and organizations to support our community," Salim said. "I would like to express our appreciation to Cambridge Police and Emergency Responders for their support and sensitive communication with our schools and community. We also wish to express thanks to the District Attorney’s office as they continue the ongoing investigation." No arrests have been made but investigators are trying to find any witnesses, "including information concerning the identity of a person seen in the area on a bicycle," the district attorney’s office said Tuesday. The district attorney's office would not comment on a potential motive. Prosecutors are still awaiting a cause and manner of death from the medical examiner's office, the district attorney's office said. Anyone who may have information is asked to call the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at (781) 897-6600.