Bullying Drives Student to Suicide

Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old high school freshman from Greensburg, Ind., took his own life Thursday following a period of antigay bullying from classmates that went unaddressed.

Lucas was found dead inside his family’s barn Thursday, where he had killed himself.

According to WHTR, Greensburg High School principal Phil Chappel said that officials were unaware of bullying against Lucas, but friends said the abuse was constant, and often directed to what the aggressors presumed about his sexual orientation.

"Some people at school called him names," student Nick Hughes told WHTR, adding that most of the names questioned Lucas's sexual orientation. The young man was unable to fight back.

WHTR reports that Greensburg High School administrators have considered the formation of a committee on bullying issues in the wake of the tragedy.