Dominique Taylor will never forget the sound of her daughter’s voice, the night a crowd dragged her out of her apartment on Prairie View A&M University’s campus.
“She called me, and I could hear it—something was off,” Taylor said. Her daughter, Daijha, a student at Prairie View A&M University, had gone out to a SpringFest party with friends. That uneasy feeling turned out to be a mother’s worst nightmare.
Recommended Videos
In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 13, everything escalated. Daijha and her roommate, Dana, were attacked at their off-campus housing complex, The Phases. According to Taylor, a group of around 15 people, mostly girls but some boys, vandalized the property, kicked in the door, and dragged Daijha out of her apartment.
Her daughter told her she knew one of the assailants. They went to high school in Houston together. Taylor says the girl texted her daughter’s roommate, saying she didn’t like the way Daijah was smirking at her during the Springfest. Her mother said those texts became more threatening until eventually she showed up at her apartment with a crowd of people.
“They threw rocks through the window. They busted in the door,” Taylor said. “Once they got inside, one of the girls punched Daijha in the face—and it just exploded from there.”
In a now-viral video, Daijha is seen being pulled by her hair, punched, and kicked in the head. Her mother says she weighs just 97 pounds.
“She was fighting for her life,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t just a fight—it was an ambush.”
The beating only stopped when a neighbor recognized her and stepped in. By the time Taylor arrived, the scene was heartbreaking.
“Her wig was outside. A shoe over here. Pieces of her stuff scattered across the yard,” she recalled. “She was on the floor, curled up, in shock.”
Physically, Daijha was left with a black eye, missing patches of hair, and cuts and bruises. But it’s the emotional wounds that seem hardest to heal.
“She’s already been diagnosed with anxiety and severe panic attacks. She has an emotional support animal, she’s in therapy weekly—and then this happens,” Taylor said. “She cries out of nowhere. She’s overwhelmed. She’s not okay.”
Daijha was determined to stay on track with school—she didn’t even want to miss class the next day, despite everything—but her mom says the trauma is catching up with her. “She’s been oversleeping. She’s anxious all the time. And finals are coming up.”
The family says screenshots have surfaced showing some of the assailants bragging about the attack. Even worse, they still don’t know everyone who was involved.
“There were people in that video we can’t identify,” Taylor said. “They know what she looks like. They know where she lives. That’s what’s really messing with her.”
Despite the horror, Taylor says the university and local authorities have shown real support in the aftermath.
“Sergeant Holloway and Ms. Noel from American Campus have been amazing. Prairie View police are doing welfare checks. The university therapist has her on the emergency list. She can walk in or call any time,” she said. “They’ve really come through in that regard.”
Prairie View A&M University issued a statement saying they are aware of the incident and that the University Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs are conducting a thorough investigation. “The safety and well-being of our students and the entire campus community remain our highest priority,” the statement reads.
But for Taylor, more needs to be done—especially to ensure her daughter feels safe enough to stay enrolled.
“She wants to finish school. I’m not going to let her be bullied out of her education,” Taylor said. “But if she could just finish the semester online, I think she could finally start to heal. Her therapist is writing a letter to the university to support that. I just want her to be okay.”
As the investigation continues, Taylor is pleading with anyone who knows something to come forward. And she’s hoping the university will not just act swiftly but send a clear message: that what happened to her daughter will not be tolerated.
“I’m 45 minutes away in Houston,” Taylor said. “I still wasn’t close enough to protect my baby. But I’ll keep speaking up until she gets justice—and peace.”
