THREE boys were slashed after a knife-wielding high schooler lunged at fellow students in a hallway.
Teachers said the stabbing wasn’t random – with the suspect, 16, currently in custody.
Police at the bloody scene at Carrick High School after the knife attack[/caption]
The triple stabbing stemmed from a fight between the suspect and three fellow students, said Dena Young, chief of Pittsburgh Public Schools police[/caption]
Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said one student was critically injured[/caption]
A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Schools said a student had used a “small knife” to wound fellow pupils at Carrick High School early this morning.
One parent, Tess Bocsia, received a text from her fearful child – who wasn’t injured – saying, “I’m fine, but I’m scared.”
The mother of another student told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette her terrified son texted her to collect him immediately, pleading, “Mom, come get me. Someone got stabbed.”
Two students were transported by Pittsburgh EMS with stab wounds to their stomachs, according to police.
The school went into lockdown as a result of the bloody attack.
Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz told reporters at a press conference that just after 8:30 am, emergency responders received reports of an “altercation that resulted in three stabbing victims, plus a suspected actor (who) also received a laceration to his hand.
“He is being questioned at police headquarters.”
The victims were “all students, ranging in age from 15 to 18.”
Asked whether the triple stabbing occurred “after a fight” she told reporters that was “correct.”
Cruz also confirmed the incident was “not random.”
She added, “It stemmed from an altercation in the hallway, I don’t know exactly how it started.
“At this time I just wanted to reiterate that there were two people transported to hospital – one in critical, one in stable condition, and one with a minor injury was not transported.
“And then there is a fourth who is being questioned at police headquarters at this time, and he had a minor laceration to his hand, and was cleared by medics to be questioned.”
[I don’t know] if y’all heard yet, like, two kids got stabbed.
Cruz said the Pittsburgh police, the crime scene unit, and major crimes division were “all still on the scene” this afternoon.
Pittsburgh police, firefighters and EMS personnel were dispatched to Carrick High for the “critical incident,” said an initial Pittsburgh Public Safety statement.
All victims were receiving medical help at around 9:25 am.
The boy who was in a critical condition was taken to UPMC Mercy, while the student who was in a stable condition was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital.
Tess Bocsia, a parent, told the Gazette that the first she knew of the attack was via her son’s text.
“[I don’t know] if y’all heard yet, like, two kids got stabbed,” he wrote, adding, “I’m fine, but I’m scared.”
Bocsia said she felt “sick to the stomach… it happens every single day, and something needs to change.”
TRIGGERED
Dena Young, chief of Pittsburgh Public Schools police, said the attack appeared to have been triggered by “some trouble last week with some kids, but not necessarily these three kids.”
She added that the suspect was new to the school district.
Police said there was “no ongoing threat at the school.”
Officials also confirmed Carrick was “secure,” but emergency responders and cops would remain “to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the building.”
GRATEFUL
Mayor Ed Gainey said students “deserve to feel safe.”
The leader added, “To the school, police and city’s first responders — thank you for your swift, calm, and compassionate response.
“Your actions helped protect lives, and we are deeply grateful for your service.”
Dr. Wayne N. Walters, Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent, said, “We are deeply concerned for the students who were injured today, and our thoughts are with them and their families.”
He thanked Carrick staff “who worked tirelessly to keep students calm in a situation that was anything but calm.
“And to our students who showed resilience and cooperated with staff as the day continued under difficult circumstances.”
Cruz told reporters that the “school is keeping classes on, but obviously parents have the option to come and pick up their students at any time.”
She added, “If anyone has video of this incident, they’re encouraged to please send it to the police or call police headquarters.”
