A student was killed after a fight at a high school in Phoenix escalated to a stabbing incident. The “senseless tragedy,” as school officials have been calling it, took place at Maryvale High School on Tuesday. The campus is located near 59th Avenue and Osborn Road.
Phoenix Commander David Saflar has since confirmed the high school stabbing merely “started off with a fight between two students.” The on-campus school safety officer was brought on, who eventually detained of the people involved at the scene. Ultimately, police officers responded to the school’s report of the fight escalating into a stabbing around 11 am.
US high school stabbing: What do we know about the victim, suspect?
Two students were transported to a local hospital for medical assistance. According to Phoenix police, one had life-threatening injuries, who was later pronounced dead. While a suspect was detained in the incident, authorities are not looking for any other suspects in connection with the Maryvale case.
As of now, neither identity has been released. Details about the weapon used in the high school stabbing are also under wraps at the moment.
Maryvale High School: Schedule altered due to stabbing
In the wake of one student dying at the hands of the situation in focus, Maryvale has modified its schedule for Wednesday so that students and staff can be provided with “extensive emotional support and counselling,” as per Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Thea Andrade.
On Tuesday, the high school sent out a message to parents, informing them that students would be released from the premises early at 1 pm due to the newly launched investigation. Activities scheduled for after school were also cancelled.
“Tomorrow, it will be a hard moment to drop a kid off at school, and so to the parents out there, know that we are working as hard as we can to make sure that schools are as safe as possible,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, while thanking first responders and police.
Meanwhile, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne emphasised the need for schools to be safe places. Calling what happened a “terrible tragedy,” Horne added in a statement, “This terrible incident reinforces my commitment to doing everything possible to make schools safe.”
In a major update, Phoenix Union High School officials eventually confirmed there was no active danger and that all other students (except the two involved) and staff were safe.
This is a developing story.