Red Deerians rally around injured teen after assault
Published 4:27 pm Friday, May 15, 2026
A couple hundred Red Deerians gathered to show support for a teen girl after a video of her being attacked went viral on social media.
The video shows one girl repeatedly punching, kicking and elbowing 14-year-old Rylin Brinston in the field near Hunting Hills High School and the Collicutt Centre. The suspect also slams the back of Brinston’s head into the ground multiple times. A second girl is shown hitting Brinston in the video as well.
The two suspects, both 14-year-old residents of Red Deer, have since been charged, according to Red Deer RCMP. One was charged with assault causing bodily harm and assault by choking, while the other was charged with just assault causing bodily harm. Both will appear in the Alberta Court of Justice on June 25.
A rally was held outside the old courthouse in downtown Red Deer on the afternoon of Friday, May 15, with many holding signs with messages of support and wearing blue, which is Brinston’s favourite colour.
“It feels nice. It’s like I’m not by myself,” Brinston said at the rally.
“It’s been really stressful (since the incident on May 11) and like everything is not right anymore. But we’re managing.”
As a result of the attack, Brinston sustained a concussion and has some internal eye bleeding. She could potentially be faced with permanent eye damage.
Stephanie Rempel, Brinston’s mother, said seeing her daughter getting injured like this has been a traumatic experience. But knowing “how many people in this community care” has been helpful, she added.
“It’s really nice to see because a few days ago, she thought she had nobody in the world. For everyone to come together, the messages and the gifts — we’re very grateful,” said Rempel.
Rempel said she hopes parents will speak to their children about bullying and teach them how to regulate their emotions “so things like this don’t happen.”
“This is unacceptable,” said Rempel.
“When I was a kid, this never happened. We had fights, but the severity of this is new to me. I’ve never seen anything like this before. … It was pretty upsetting, with the 40-some kids who were there, that no one said anything. I feel like if even a couple people stepped up (the attackers) would have stopped.”
Brinston will finish the school year at home through online learning. Rempel expects her daughter will continue online learning next year as well.
More than $21,000 has been donated to Brinston and her family through a GoFundMe online fundraiser. For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-rylin.
Red Deer Mayor Cindy Jefferies discussed the incident on social media ahead of the rally outside the courthouse.
“My heart goes out to the parents, loved ones, and friends, of this young woman,” said Jefferies.
“As a parent, I can only imagine how traumatic and heartbreaking this has been for all of you. To the families of the youth who were involved in this assault I have no doubt that this is difficult for you too. None of us ever wants our children to be involved in anything like this.”
Jefferies said the city is committed to working with the community to prevent something like this from happening again.
“I encourage all of you to talk to your children, friends, coworkers and neighbours about this. This is an opportunity to have difficult conversations with one another — to say and understand that this type of bullying and violent behaviour has no place here and will not be tolerated,” said Jefferies.
“I have also been reflecting on our society as a whole. To me, in these times, we often standby and watch bullying behaviour; society is becoming desensitized. We choose to let it pass, we turn away — perhaps with fear of reprisal. We need to normalize a more constructive response.
“We all want people to feel safe and to be safe in our schools and in our city. Let’s look out for one another and make it so.”