CLEARWATER, Fla. — A 9th grader with no disciplinary history is being charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing two students Thursday morning at Countryside High School.
An already hours-long investigation will continue in an attempt to find the motive and answer other questions, Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said.
Just after 11:20 a.m., the chief said school resource officers reported two people — 9th and 11th-grade boys — were stabbed in the main front hallway of the school during a class change. Just a couple of minutes later, those officers had the suspect at gunpoint before taking him into custody.
The accused suspect, a 14-year-old boy, reportedly had no disciplinary issues in his background, and his relationship with the two students remains unknown. They were taken to area hospitals to be treated for unknown injuries.
The two boys are said to be stable as of Thursday evening, with one already released from the hospital.
Without further specifying the type of weapon used or the extent of the two's injuries, Gandy only said a type of knife was involved.
The 14-year-old is now facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Parents of the students involved were told of the incident shortly thereafter while the school community was alerted that the danger had passed, Gandy said.
"A critical component of any active assailant response is to neutralize the threat. In this case, it occurred very quickly, allowing us to focus on the safety of everyone else within the school," Gandy said.
Jacob Brooks, 14, told 10 Tampa Bay he and other classmates were in shock.
"It was really, really scary because we didn't know too much of what was going on," said Brooks, who was walking near the school's cafeteria at the time. "I saw a body on the ground, and then the sirens started ringing."
Police considered parts of the school crime scenes, and students had been kept in their classes in order to preserve those areas.
Classes were dismissed at 1:25 p.m. Although after-school activities were canceled, it's school as usual on Friday, Pinellas County Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said.