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Teen Dies After Being Beaten in Front of Coney Island Home, Officials Say

By  Ben Fractenberg and Aidan Gardiner | April 6, 2016 7:35pm 

 The family of Ta'Jae Warner, 17, were raising funds for her funeral after she was fatally beaten in front of her Coney Island home on April 1, 2016.
The family of Ta'Jae Warner, 17, were raising funds for her funeral after she was fatally beaten in front of her Coney Island home on April 1, 2016.
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GoFundMe

BROOKLYN — A Coney Island teen died this week after she was beaten unconscious in front of her apartment complex on April 1, officials said. 

Ta’Jae Warner, 17, was fatally beaten by Sarina Agard-Forde, 18, in front of 2950 W. 24th St. at about 11:20 p.m. Friday , according to court papers.

Agard-Forde was initially charged with felony assault, but her charges were expected to be upgraded by a grand jury after Warner died earlier this week, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said. 

Agard-Forde struck Warner multiple times on her head until she fell and slammed her head onto the pavement, causing the 17-year-old to lose consciousness, an NYPD spokeswoman said.

Warner was declared brain dead two days later on April 3, according to police, and then died shortly after. 

The city's Medical Examiner did not return request for comment about the specific date of Warner's death. 

Agard-Forde was charged with felony assault and attempted assault and was held on $10,000 bond during her arraignment on April 3, records show.

Warner’s family started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her funeral costs.

“My family and I would like to raise money for medical expenses and funeral service and proper attire for the family to attend services for our beautiful daughter/sister/aunt, we are trying to raise the money as quickly as possible,” her father, Arthur Warner, wrote on the page.

They had raised more than $3,500 out of a $25,000 goal as of Wednesday evening.

Agard-Forde was scheduled back in Brooklyn Criminal Court court on April 8, according to records.

Her lawyer did not return an immediate request for comment.