Teenager recovering from brain surgery after beating

A 15-year-old Spokane Valley boy is recovering from brain surgery after a brutal beating by several acquaintances Monday evening, his mother said. A passerby found the boy unconscious and called 911 just before 11:30 p.m. near the 600 block of North Farr Road, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. “The cops called and told me they found my son half dead,” said the boy’s mother, Tinese Burnett. “He laid outside for hours.” Burnett said her son, whom she asked not be named, suffered a fractured skull after being struck in the forehead with a metal baseball bat. He also has several stitches on his left shoulder and right leg. Burnett said she and her son knew several of the suspects. Investigators are searching for a motive in the attack.