Two students and a teacher were seriously injured in an alleged stabbing at a middle school in Missouri, police said.
Warrenton police were called to Black Hawk Middle School on Thursday after a juvenile student allegedly attacked two students and a teacher during school hours.
Emergency crews arrived at about 8 a.m., but authorities said the suspect had already left the school.
Police placed the campus on lockdown as officers began searching for the suspect, who was found and taken into custody soon afterward.
The three victims were transported to hospitals 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 said one student was airlifted in serious condition, while the injured teacher was taken to a 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
Emergency crews arrived at the school at about 8 a.m., but the suspect had already fled, authorities said
Police locked down the school and located the juvenile suspect shortly after launching their investigation
Authorities said they would release more information when it was appropriate to do so.
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 acknowledged that an incident of this kind would cause fear and concern throughout 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 was in class with friends when he heard the lockdown announcement.
The sixth grader said the stabbing occurred just outside his classroom.
Aubuchon said he and his classmates turned off the lights and locked the door.
They then used their phones to notify 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.”
Authorities have not said what led to the alleged attack.
Parents rushed to the school after receiving alerts about the incident. One parent said the attack might have been prevented
Hundreds of parents gathered outside the school after receiving alerts, waiting to be reunited with their children.
James Besselman, whose sixth-grade child attends the school, said bullying has been a serious 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, 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 about 1:50 p.m., the outlet reported.
