ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed at a Virginia high school Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Police said.
During a fight between three students, a 15-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old inside the West Potomac High School in Alexandria at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday, police said. A student resource officer was on the scene within seconds, Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
Emergency medical services responded the school at 9:50 a.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the teenager with multiple stab wounds. Authorities said his injuries were life threatening, but he was brought to a nearby hospital and his injuries have been downgraded to stable.
A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police confirmed a 15-year-old boy is in custody for the stabbing. The student has been charged with malicious wounding. The third student involved is being interviewed, but police say they are not charging them at this time.
Superintendent Michelle Reid said students will not be released early. They are in a modified lunch program for the rest of the day, where staff are able to monitor them closely and students can have access to counseling services if they need.
At a press conference, parents questioned why they aren’t allowing parents to pick up students at this time. The school system sent out an email to families saying West Potomac is in a “Stay Put, Stay Tuned” safety protocol. Typically, parents and guardians are allowed to pick up their students with proper identification, but at this time, they are not releasing any students. Reid said they are not releasing children to parents until the crime scene has been cleared.
Multiple parents waiting at the school hoping to pick up their children said their students sent them graphic videos and pictures of the fight and stabbing.
In the email, Jamie Carfang, a school administrator, wrote that this is an isolated incident and has been contained. All students at the school are safe.
The high school is on a campus called West Potomac Academy that also includes an elementary school. All students have been returned to their base schools, she wrote, and there will be no afternoon shuttles Wednesday. She also asked that no one come to the school at this time.
West Potomac High School begins its school day at 8:10 a.m. The stabbing happened within the first two hours of the day.
This is a developing story. WUSA9 will continue to update this story as more information enters our newsroom.
