The 13-year-old says he never intended to injure his classmate, who suffered bruising during an eighth-grade physical education class.
MAYER, Ariz. — A 13-year-old Arizona boy faces a misdemeanor assault charge after authorities investigated a December dodgeball incident at Mayer High School that left another student with large bruises and led to her hospitalization, according to a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office report reviewed by Arizona’s Family.
Abel Schipper and two other 13-year-old boys acknowledged throwing foam dodgeballs at the girl during a warm-up for an eighth-grade physical education class in December 2025. Schipper has said the girl was his former girlfriend. All three boys told a sheriff’s deputy they did not intend to hurt her, according to the report described by Arizona’s Family. Schipper is now challenging the misdemeanor charge, with a judge scheduled to hear his case Aug. 17.
The sheriff’s office became involved two days after the incident when a Banner Health social worker reported that three boys had attacked a classmate, according to Arizona’s Family. The social worker told authorities the girl had been repeatedly struck with dodgeballs after she came out of a bathroom and had been taken to a hospital. Photographs described in the police report showed two large blue and purple bruises on the girl’s upper right rib area and lower right abdomen.
A deputy later interviewed the students involved. Schipper admitted throwing a ball that struck the girl and acknowledged that he had targeted her to some extent, the report said. He maintained, however, that selecting and throwing at another student was part of playing dodgeball and that he did not mean to cause an injury. The other two boys also denied intending to hurt the girl.
Schipper told Arizona’s Family that the balls used during the class were small foam balls that could be compressed. He said he had not expected one to cause an injury. His comments describe his account of the incident and do not resolve whether his actions meet the legal standard for misdemeanor assault, an issue now before the juvenile justice system.
The teenager’s mother, Cecily Schipper, disputes the charge. She told Arizona’s Family that she received no communication from school officials about the episode and said her son was not disciplined at school. She also said she did not know a deputy had interviewed him on school grounds until months later, when a letter from the Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center notified the family of the assault charge.
Cecily Schipper has argued that her son was participating in a school game rather than deliberately trying to hurt the girl. She also said the two teenagers continued communicating after the December incident. Those assertions represent the family’s account and do not change the allegation documented in the sheriff’s office report that the girl was repeatedly struck and suffered significant bruising.
The girl has not been publicly identified in the reports reviewed for this story. Arizona’s Family said her mother and Mayer High School did not respond to requests for comment. The available reporting also does not include a public statement from the girl giving her own account of what happened during the class.
Questions also remain about the status of the other two boys. Law&Crime reported that it was unclear whether they had also been charged. Arizona’s Family reported that, according to the Schipper family, two of the three boys involved were expected to appear before a judge. No independently verified court record reviewed for this article establishes the disposition of any case involving the other students.
Schipper’s case is scheduled to be heard Aug. 17. Until the juvenile proceeding determines the matter, the misdemeanor assault accusation remains an allegation, and the available reports do not establish that Schipper has been found responsible for a crime.