The 16-year-old Carrick High School student was taken into custody after a fight near the front entrance left one classmate in critical condition and two others wounded, officials said.
A 16-year-old Carrick High School student was arrested Wednesday morning after a hallway altercation escalated into a stabbing just inside the school’s front doors on Parkfield Street, according to Pittsburgh police and district officials. The incident prompted an immediate lockdown less than an hour into the school day as students sheltered in classrooms and the gym.
Police said the confrontation began around 8:30 a.m. near the main entrance at 125 Parkfield St. An 18-year-old student was taken to UPMC Mercy in critical condition and a second student was in stable condition at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. A third student suffered a “minor laceration” and was treated at the scene and released, authorities said. All four students involved are boys between 15 and 18, according to police spokeswoman Cara Cruz.
Pittsburgh Public Schools said a student “used a small knife to injure three other students.” Investigators said early reports indicated the three victims confronted a single student, who then produced a knife and retaliated. “It stemmed from an altercation in the hallway. It wasn’t a random … someone stabbing people in the hallway,” Cruz told reporters.
WARNING: Graphic Images: Knife attack leaves three students injured at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh. Video: Get Marty pic.twitter.com/gUmawMua2w
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City Councilman Anthony Coghill, whose district includes the school, said he was briefed by public safety officials. “From what I understand there was a fight amongst students. I believe it was a three-against-one situation, and the one who was I guess being ganged up on had a knife or grabbed a knife. I’m not exactly sure where the knife came from,” he said. He added that the student then stabbed the others involved in the skirmish.
District police Chief Dena Young said the alleged stabber is a new student in the district and administrators had been in contact with the student’s mother beforehand because of “some social media stuff.” Young suggested tensions might have predated the incident: “There was possibly something brewing between him and these three,” she said. Asked about bullying, Young said she did not know.
Young said the student arrived late Wednesday, entering through the cafeteria and passing a metal detector. “They came in through the cafeteria, but I don’t think he had access to the knife,” Young said. The campus has four security guards and two school police officers assigned, according to the district.
Police said the suspect, whose hand was cut, was taken into custody and transported to headquarters for questioning; he received treatment from medics. The district said the school would remain in “secure status” for the rest of the day, with officers present at dismissal. Shortly before 11 a.m., several dozen students left early to meet relatives.
