OREM, Utah, Nov. 22, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Charges have been filed against a 16-year-old accused of stabbing five teenage boys at Orem’s Mountain View High School last Tuesday morning, then stabbing himself.
The suspect, whose name is not being disclosed, was charged Monday with five counts of first-degree felony attempted murder, and one count each of class A misdemeanor failure to stop at command of a law officer and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to assault.
The attack took place in the school’s boys’ locker room as teens were getting ready for a physical education class, said Orem Police Chief Gary Giles, speaking to reporters at a news conference. Teachers moved in quickly to block the knife-wielding teen into a small bathroom area of the locker room, “putting themselves into harm’s way,” Giles said.
“At 7:47, we received a call to the dispatch center,” said Giles. “The entire episode was over by 7:53, so there were six minutes between the call and the suspect being taken into custody.”
The school resource officer was called to the scene, and deployed a Taser to gain control of the boy and to disarm him.
All those stabbed were wounded in the neck or chest area. The suspect’s self-inflicted wound was to his neck.
All six teens were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Their conditions ranged from critical to fair, and all were expected to survive, Giles said. At 2 p.m. that day, the Orem Police Department tweeted that one victim and the suspect had been released from the hospital.
At 4 p.m., Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital tweeted that two students were in critical but stable condition, one was in fair condition and one had been transferred to another hospital for additional treatment but was in fair condition. The hospital said that none of the students’ injuries are considered life-threatening, and that “families of the victims appreciate the outpouring of community support, but respectfully ask for privacy as they help their children recover.” The fifth victim was seen at a different hospital and was released.
The 16-year-old suspect was a new sophomore at the school, a straight-A student who previously had been home schooled, according to Alpine School District spokeswoman Kimberley Bird.
The suspect used a knife with a blade of about three inches, Giles said. No motive has yet been determined, but multiple witnesses to the incident were interviewed.
After the victims and suspect were transported from the site, district authorities decided to continue with the school day. Investigators remained to collect evidence at the crime scene.
Bird said counselors were on hand, and the district wanted to provide a feeling of support and relative normalcy for students who remained at the school.
“The scene was secured by the police department so quickly, we felt like school is a safe place for kids to be, and we have resources to help them,” Bird said.
My kids are scared to go back to school, how do we help them?
I haven’t heard anything about helping our scared students go back to school, how do we help them.