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A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody following a dispute involving a knife at a Westchester County high school that left a student with stab wounds, police said.
The incident began just after 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, when a 17-year-old student at Gorton High School in Yonkers was found with several non-life-threatening stab wounds, according to Yonkers Police Detective Sergeant Frank DiDomizio.
After first aid was given by the school nurse, Yonkers officers, and paramedics, the student was rushed to a nearby hospital in stable condition while his family was notified.
Soon after, the 14-year-old student at the school was detained by school safety officers and placed into custody. Police also found the knife used in the incident, DiDomizio said, adding that the suspect was also taken to a hospital to be evaluated before being processed at the Yonkers Police Youth Division.
An investigation determined that the suspect brought a knife into the school and was involved in a fight with the victim. This became physical and led to the suspect stabbing the victim several times with the knife before school staff could break the fight up.
The suspect was charged with:
- First-degree attempted assault;
- Second-degree assault;
- Second-degree attempted assault;
- Fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The suspect's name was not released by police because of his age.
The injured student is in stable condition.
After the incident, the school was placed into lockdown out of an abundance of caution, DiDomizio said, adding that it was lifted by 10:30 a.m. Students then returned to their normal schedules.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano called the incident "alarming" and "not indicative of our district."
"I have asked the Superintendent of Schools to work with Yonkers Police and the school administration to review security measures and convene a crisis intervention team for students at the school. Our goal is to ensure an incident like this does not happen again and provide continued support to our community," Spano continued.
Yonkers Superintendent Anibal Soler, Jr. also gave a statement on the incident:
"I want to reassure our families that this was an isolated event, and our students are safe," Soler said, adding, "We are working closely with the Yonkers Police Department and will be reviewing security measures with school administration to ensure our schools remain secure learning environments. Our crisis intervention team is available to support students and staff as we move forward together."
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