Warrenton Police say all three victims are in a stable condition and there is no continuing threat to the community. A student was flown to hospital by helicopter.
Two students and a teacher were allegedly stabbed at Black Hawk Middle School in Warrenton, Missouri, on Thursday, and a juvenile suspect has been taken into custody. Warrenton Police were called to the school at about 8am, but the suspect had left by the time officers arrived. The school was placed in lockdown, and the young suspect was found soon after the investigation began. Police said all the victims were in a stable condition.
What police say
Police confirmed that a student was taken by medical helicopter in serious condition, while the teacher went to hospital by ambulance. “One of the injured individuals was flown from the scene, while the other injured persons were provided with medical attention,” they said. They added: “All victims are in stable condition. There is no continued threat to the community.”
The department said it would release more details “after it becomes appropriate” and would “not compromise the investigation or the privacy of those involved”. It said it was working closely with school administrators and other emergency agencies. “The safety of our students, teachers, and school personnel is of paramount importance,” police said.
Officials acknowledged that incidents like this cause fear and concern, and urged the public not to draw conclusions. “We ask the public to avoid speculation and to respect the privacy of the victims and their families as they deal with this difficult situation,” they said. It remains unclear what led to the incident.
The teacher and one of the students were released from hospital at 1.50pm, according to First Alert 4.
Pupils and parents
Keegan Aubuchon, a sixth grader, told First Alert 4 that he heard the lockdown announcement while in class. He said the stabbing happened right outside his classroom. He and his classmates turned off the lights and locked the doors, then used their phones to tell their parents. “We just sat there quietly and heard screaming,” he said. “I just wanted all my friends to be OK and everyone else to be OK.”
Hundreds of parents waited outside the school to be reunited with their children after receiving an alert. James Besselman, the father of a sixth grader, said bullying is a big problem at the school. “I don’t know what brought on this situation today, but I told them in the principal’s office that I don’t want my son to be a situation of, ‘What could we have done differently?’” he said. “I don’t know if there was bullying involved, what happened, what provoked this. However, somebody knew something. Somebody could have done something to prevent this.”
