Two students and a teacher were seriously injured in an alleged stabbing at a middle school in Missouri, police said.
Warrenton police responded to an emergency call at Black Hawk Middle School on Thursday after a juvenile student allegedly stabbed two students and a teacher during school hours.
First responders arrived at about 8 a.m., but authorities said the suspect had already left the school.
Police placed the school under lockdown and located the juvenile suspect soon after launching their investigation.
The suspect was taken into custody, while the three injured victims were transported to a hospital for treatment, officials said.
“One of the injured individuals was flown from the scene, while the other injured persons were provided with medical attention,” police said.
Police confirmed that one student was flown by medical helicopter in serious condition. The teacher was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
“All victims are in stable condition. There is no continued threat to the community,” police said.
A juvenile student allegedly stabbed two students and a teacher during school hours at Black Hawk Middle School in Missouri
First responders arrived at the school at about 8 a.m., but the suspect had already fled, authorities said
Police placed the school under lockdown and located the juvenile suspect shortly after beginning their investigation
Authorities said they would release more information when it becomes appropriate.
The department added that it would not compromise the investigation or the privacy of those involved.
“The safety of our students, teachers, and school personnel is of paramount importance,” police said.
“We are working closely with school administrators and other emergency response agencies to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to assist with the ongoing investigation,” the department added.
Officials said they understood that an incident of this nature would cause fear and concern in the community, but urged the public not to jump to 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,” police said.
Keegan Aubuchon, a student at the middle school, told First Alert 4 that he heard the lockdown announcement while he was in a classroom with friends.
The sixth grader said the stabbing took place immediately outside his classroom.
Aubuchon said he and his classmates turned off the lights and locked the door.
They then took out their phones to alert their parents, he said.
“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.”
It remains unclear what preceded the incident.
Parents rushed to the school after being alerted about the incident. One parent said the stabbing could have been prevented
Hundreds of parents gathered outside the school to reunite with their children after receiving an alert about the incident.
James Besselman, whose sixth-grade child attends the school, said bullying was a significant problem there.
“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 told the outlet.
“I don’t know if there was bullying involved, what happened, or what provoked this. However, somebody knew something. Somebody could have done something to prevent this,” Besselman added.
The teacher and the other student were released from the hospital at 1:50 p.m., the outlet reported.