A family in Santa Rosa, California is currently laying flowers at a memorial outside Montgomery High School. Based on CBS news, two students were stabbed in a school brawl on Wednesday. One student has been reported dead.
Family and friends are currently setting up a memorial at Montgomery High School. A 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death after a fight. pic.twitter.com/PvpJ20xOWa
– Andrea Nakano (@AndreaKPIX) March 2, 2023
Incest Among High School Students
Based on CBS newsRelatives have identified the 16-year-old stabbing victim as Jayden Pienta.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pienta and another 16-year-old student were said to have entered a classroom as an art class was being held. The students, both juniors, are said to have confronted a 15-year-old freshman and an argument broke out.
According to police, a teacher and three assistants were able to “quickly break up the fight”. However, the three students started fighting again and the freshman is said to have swung a knife. Then stabbed Pienta and another 16-year-old student.
Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan described the weapon to reporters and briefly detailed the students’ injuries.
The knife is described as a folding knife with a black handle, the blade is about 4 to 5 inches long… One of the students was stabbed three times in the upper body. One student was stabbed once in the left arm.
What happened after the police arrived at the scene
According to police, officers arrived within four minutes of receiving a phone call regarding the incident.
Both Pienta and the 16-year-old student were able to visit the nurse’s office to assess their injuries. In addition, when police arrived, both students were “awake and sober” and provided police with their initial statements.
However, everything changed when both students were transferred to a local hospital. According to this source, Pienta was a student who suffered three stab wounds to his body and was pronounced dead at the facility.
The other 16-year-old student suffered a stab wound to his arm and is “supposed to survive the wound”.
The 15-year-old suspect is said to have fled the scene
Following the incident, the 15-year-old freshman is said to have fled the campus. However, authorities soon received word that the student was hiding in a nearby creek. The police identified the suspect and arrested him.
In a statement released on the Santa Rosa Police Department Facebook pageit was revealed that the 15-year-old boy was charged with “murder, attempted murder, felony use of a weapon on school property and misdemeanor assault on school property.”
The 15-year-old boy’s identity was not released due to his age.
Family Members & Students Responding to Tragedy
Pienta’s grandmother spoke exclusively to the news agency, explaining that the 16-year-old was a “quiet and gentle boy” and “didn’t hurt anyone”. Additionally, his aunt shared her thoughts on the tragedy, describing the incident as very shocking.
He takes care of his own business. He did well at school. He is one of the sweetest, loveliest, kindest, cutest, most compassionate people… He doesn’t deserve any of this. No one saw this coming. It was an absolute tragedy and a loss.
Additionally, the family has criticized the high school, which they say did not do anything to prevent the stabbing from happening. Despite previous incidents among students.
The school does nothing. They did nothing. They were reported last week when the tires were slashed and there were confrontations, but they did nothing. They didn’t record it. They don’t call their parents.
Furthermore, Pienta’s grandmother revealed that they learned about the 16-year-old boy’s death from their classmates.
They didn’t even call the parents today! Students today called parents to let them know their son had just been stabbed.
Pienta’s aunt further explained her thoughts.
It was complete negligence. Absolute crap. It’s unacceptable. It is unacceptable behavior. This is where we trust our children to go! This is where they’re supposed to be safe!
“One of the family members said the teen had asked his father to have him home schooled after things had deteriorated at Montgomery High School.”
Update: Family identifies 16-year-old fatally stabbed at Montgomery High in Santa Rosa – CBS San Francisco https://t.co/ohDLQFUbrw
— Stanley Morrical (@MorricalINS) March 2, 2023
One student even voiced her frustrations with the school and their alleged mishandling of the entire situation.
This school should be held accountable. A student had to call 911. Nobody else did. A student did; a kid. The school didn’t do anything. The school knew these two had problems beforehand. The school — it’s their job to keep us safe.
🚨 #BREAKING 🚨 Tragedy strikes Montgomery High as 16-year-old Jayden Pienta is fatally stabbed in a classroom. Students express concerns over school handling of the on-campus homicide. Our hearts go out to Jayden’s family and friends. #breakingnews #schoolviolence pic.twitter.com/YXL0rzODdh
— Catalyst for Change (@ChangeLabHQ) March 2, 2023
School officials reportedly confirmed that Montgomery High School would remain closed on Thursday and Friday.
