A 14-year-old student at a North Carolina high school stabbed two of his classmates, killing one of them, during a brawl in the school’s gym on Monday, said police.
In a video of the incident captured on a cell phone, dozens of students rushed into Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School’s gym as the suspect pulled out a weapon that appeared to be a knife and struck the two victims, ages 15 and 16.
Raleigh Police were alerted to the incident at 11 a.m., when a school resource officer reported that a juvenile had been stabbed. They secured the building and rendered first aid to the victims.
The victims were transported to a nearby hospital where the 15-year-old male died of his injuries. The other student remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, is in custody. He was charged with murder on a juvenile petition on Monday evening, said a spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said there is no further threat to the school or to the community.
“We are working very closely with Wake County Public School officials to identify those directly involved in this altercation,” said Patterson.
The high school went into a code red lockdown after the stabbing until Wake County security resolved the situation, according to Superintendent Robert Taylor.
“I want to share my condolences with the family and the loved ones of the victim. As a parent, I can’t imagine getting that call,” said Taylor.
Classes and after school activities were canceled on Tuesday to give the community time to process the incident, said a press release from Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School’s principal.
“While student privacy laws prevent me from sharing specific information about the victim, please know that the student who passed away was a valued member of our school community, and we grieve this loss alongside his loved ones,” said Principal George Harden Jr.
Harden added that the district’s crisis team and employee support and wellness program were made available to the school’s community.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Cherelle McLaughlin, the mother of a student involved in the fight, told NBC affiliate WRAL of Raleigh that her son was acting in self-defense. She claimed he was concerned for his safety at the school.
“I don’t believe he took the knife into school,” McLaughlin told WRAL. “I believe he got the knife from somebody in the school because he did not go to school with a knife. I dropped him off at school, he did not go to school with it.”
It was unclear whether McLaughlin is the mother of the 14-year-old suspect, one of the victims or another student. She did not respond to a request for comment.
While the school does not use metal detectors, it searches students if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that they have a weapon, said Taylor.
“In the aftermath of today’s tragedy, we will review all of our safety processes and protocols to determine what happened and what changes may need to be made,” said Taylor.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
