A 15-year-old resident of a Johnston, Iowa, juvenile treatment center has been charged in connection to a staffer's death. Jovahn Mathis, 15, faces second-degree murder charges after the deadly assault of 50-year-old Kathleen Galloway-Menke, according to a news release from the city of Johnston. Mathis allegedly shoved her outside Ellipsis Iowa in Johnston, causing severe brain damage when she fell and hit her head on May 8. Galloway-Menke was being treated for her injuries at Iowa Methodist Medical Center before her family took her off life support Tuesday. Trever Hook, an attorney for the victim's family, said Galloway-Menke and a male employee followed the boy at a safe distance after he left the facility without permission, but the boy turned around and started sprinting toward them."He had ran by the male employee, passed him to Kathleen and pushed her hard enough she fell and unfortunately hit her head on concrete," Hook said.Hook said following the boy was Ellipsis protocol. And now, after Galloway-Menke's death, the family is considering legal action."We do have reasonable concerns that Ellipsis do not take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of her and other female staff members in particular," Hook said.Hook said the boy threatened to kill Galloway-Menke prior to shoving her down. He also said he has two other workers' compensation claims for Ellipsis employees that are pending right now. In one of them, a kid assaulted another person.In a statement to The Associated Press, Ellipsis said employees “are thoroughly trained on de-escalation techniques and ways to handle a variety of situations safely.”Mathis is in custody at a secure juvenile detention facility, according to a spokesperson for the Johnston Police Department.Hook sent KCCI this statement after the charges were announced: “The family would like to commend the Johnston PD for a thorough and quick investigation and decision in coordination with Polk County Attorney's Office on the charges brought in this case."Iowa center called police nearly 1,000 times in 3 years before teen killed staffer, records showEllipsis formed in August 2021 when two nonprofit organizations merged. It serves more than 750 youths and their families each day with residential care and treatment, counseling and other services, according to its website. Young people housed at the facility in Johnston are there on court orders, the organization said in a statement to the AP.Officers responded nearly 1,000 times in the past three years to the Johnston facility, according to police records.The nearly 1,000 police calls to the center include 676 for runaways and 72 reported assaults, according to records released by the Johnston Police Department. Last year alone, 251 runaways were reported, and 31 assaults, among 382 total police calls to the center.In a statement to AP, Police Chief Dennis McDaniel did not criticize Ellipsis.Police and Ellipsis officials have frequently met “regarding issues, challenges, and community concerns stemming from the increasing service needs of juveniles placed at the Johnston campus,” he said. “Ellipsis leadership has been receptive to feedback and remains actively engaged.”Ellipsis officials declined interview requests but said in the statement that the May 8 attack was “an isolated and tragic outcome.” The organization said it is working with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services “to add additional safety and security measures to our facilities to protect both youth and staff in addition to our community.”More on Ellipsis policyEllipsis said its policy calls for staff to keep runaways “in sight, as best we can, until local law enforcement arrives so we can keep police informed and to minimize potential harm to the youth or anyone else in the community.” The organization said it believes staff acted as safely as possible after the 15-year-old left the center.Though staff at juvenile centers typically work with young people who can be dangerous, deaths are rare. In 2016, 60-year-old staff member Jimmy Woolsey was attacked from behind by a 17-year-old at a ranch serving as a youth center in southern Utah. Woolsey died from blunt force injuries to the head.Galloway-Menke worked for 25 years as a special education aide in the Johnston School District before taking the job with Ellipsis, Hook said. Her death was devastating to her daughters, ages 20 and 25.“They’re very close to their mother,” Hook said.