A 16-year-old Virginia high school student was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed at school by a 15-year-old fellow student.
In a press conference held after the West Potomac High School incident in Alexandria, officials with the Fairfax County Police Department confirmed that the victim is now in stable condition, People reported.
Because both students are minors, their identities were not made public.
“Three students got into a physical fight inside the school and one 16-year-old victim was stabbed,” Fairfax County Police Maj. Elizabeth Melendez was quoted as saying. Melendez added that a school resource officer “was with the victim within seconds, and additional officers were on the scene within minutes.”
The suspect was taken into custody, and no other individuals were believed to be involved in the stabbing at the time of the press conference.
“He will be charged with malicious wounding,” Melendez said of the 15-year-old.
Detectives remained at West Potomac High School to investigate after the victim was transported to a local hospital.
Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that the knife had been recovered from the “very active criminal investigation.” He added that school staff “acted with a sense of relentless urgency” in the moments following the stabbing to protect the students.
The two teens “are known to each other,” the chief confirmed.
Classes remained in session after the 15-year-old was taken off campus and the situation was contained.
The county schools superintendent, Michelle Reid, said at the news briefing that lunch was on a modified schedule as staff monitored the students. She added that grief counselors were also available to students and staff.
“While there’s a sense, obviously a shock, that this would happen… I’m very proud of the response of our staff to this incident,” Reid said. “They responded quickly and admirably and may have saved a life today.”
When asked by a reporter why the students had to continue with classes the same day of the stabbing, Reid explained, “At this time, because of the seriousness of the incident, we want to make sure students have access to counseling services, and are not going out in the community in perhaps unsupervised settings.”
One parent who did not appear on-camera in the police department’s livestream seemed audibly upset at Reid’s response and the school’s “lockdown” protocol, which prohibited them from picking up his daughter who was “freaking out in there.”
Davis also confirmed that a video of the fight has been posted on social media.
“We have the video, just like you have the video, but the video doesn’t tell the entire story,” the police chief told reporters.
