HENRICO, Va. — A 16-year-old is facing charges in connection with a stabbing incident at Henrico High School.
Henrico County Police responded to the school around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday for the report of an altercation between two students, WWBT reports. A school resource officer on scene responded immediately and discovered two juvenile males. One was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and the other was transferred to a different hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the victim remains in critical condition. The other student has been charged with aggravated malicious wounding and stabbing during the commission of a felony. The involved students’ names will not be released due to their age.
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School officials said the seriously injured student may not have survived if it weren’t for multiple staff members who immediately jumped into action.
“We want to thank principal Karin Castillo-Rose, the school staff and Henrico County’s first responders, who reacted quickly to provide care and ensure the safety of others in the building,” Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Amy Cashwell and Henrico County Police Chief Eric English wrote in a joint statement.
Liz Parker, Henrico School’s student support and wellness director, said Henrico High has a team of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists as well as therapy dogs and county mental health providers at the school to help students and staff. The school also increased its number of security officers following the incident.
“We will visit classrooms, students will come to us, we will send our therapy dogs to the classroom if teachers and students have requested them,” Parker said. “And we are out and about in hallways and cafeterias during lunch.”
Henrico Parents Question Safety of Open Campus
Parents are questioning the security of the district’s open campuses, which include Henrico High. Henrico, plus one other high school and three middle schools, have similar layouts where the buildings are not fully enclosed or fenced in, according to CBS 6. The incident reportedly happened outside in a breezeway at the school.
Student Gabrielle Mackey said when the school went into lockdown, her first thought was that someone might have wandered onto the open campus. Parent April Wright said her son witnessed the altercation and subsequent stabbing. Although the schools have metal detectors, she said her son told her he doesn’t think the system detects all metal. It is still unknown what type of weapon was used in the attack.
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“School administrators hear and understand the concerns of our families, especially our Henrico High School community. What happened on campus this week was tragic, and we remain committed to evaluating and strengthening security resources,” said a district spokesperson. “Weapon scanners are one element of the larger school safety plan. Similar to their use at large venues, stadiums, etc., the scanners are one form of deterrent on school campuses.”
The district says school-specific plans are developed with consideration of several factors such as the layout of the campus, surrounding areas, and staff training. A spokesperson also said the district is reviewing the school’s safety protocols and will make adjustments as needed.
