A developing (and rather frightening) story out of Murrysviille, Pa., this morning, via the Associated Press:
An official says four students were believed to be seriously injured at a high school near Pittsburgh, where a student with a knife stabbed or slashed others, injuring as many as 20.
Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman Dan Stevens says not all of the 20 injured were cut by the knife, though most were. Some suffered scrapes and cuts in the mayhem that ensued at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville. … The suspect, a male student, was taken into custody and being questioned.
Obviously, in a developing story like this one there’s a lot we don’t know, and a lot of what little we think we know right now may very well change as authorities continue to gather information and piece things together. But, as of about 10 a.m., here is the latest on what authorities believe they know for sure: A male suspect is in custody and is currently being questioned, and the vast majority of the injured were students between the ages of 14 and 17. Other than that, details remain scarce.
Update 11:05 a.m.: The latest details, via NBC News:
At least 19 students and a security guard were hurt, some with life-threatening injuries. The suspect, a 16-year-old sophomore, was in custody and being questioned by police, authorities said. His motive was unclear, said Dan Stevens, a Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman.
The student was “flashing two knives around” as he moved through the classrooms and a first-floor hallway, said Thomas Seefeld, the Murrysville police chief. A school security guard handcuffed the student and suffered a wound to the stomach, the chief said.
It’s unclear how serious the injuries are. According to Stevens, it doesn’t appear any students suffered life-threatening injuries. That report, however, conflicts with what we’re hearing from a local news affiliate in Pittsburgh, which is reporting that at least seven of the injured have life-threatening injuries are being treated at a local hospital.
Murrysville is located about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, and the school district serves 3,600 or so students who live in the surrounding communities of Murrysville, Export and Delmont.* The attack is said to have begun at about 7:20 a.m., after which th school went into lockdown.
We’ll continue to update as we learn more.
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*Correction: An early version of this post inaccurately described Murrysville’s location in relation to Pittsburgh.
