Police are still trying to determine why a 16-year-old boy stabbed 21 students and a security guard in the crowded halls of his suburban Pittsburgh high school before an assistant principal tackled him.
At least five students were critically wounded in the attack on Wednesday, including a boy whose liver was pierced by a knife thrust that narrowly missed his heart and aorta, doctors said. Others also suffered deep abdominal puncture wounds.
The rampage which came after decades in which US schools geared much of their emergency planning toward mass shootings, not stabbings set off a screaming stampede, left blood on the floor and walls, and brought teachers rushing to help the victims.
The suspect, Alex Hribal, was taken into custody and treated for a minor hand wound, then was brought into court in shackles and a hospital gown and charged with four counts of attempted homicide and 21 counts of aggravated assault. He was jailed without bail, and authorities said he would be prosecuted as an adult.
As for what set off the attack, Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefeld said investigators were looking into reports of a threatening phone call between the suspect and another student the night before. Seefeld didn’t specify whether the suspect received or made the call.