Teen Killed In High School Stabbing: Santa Rosa Authorities

SANTA ROSA, CA — One student was fatally stabbed and another was injured Wednesday at a Santa Rosa high school, according to authorities.

The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m., when two juniors entered an art class at Montgomery High School and confronted a freshman, authorities said during a news conference streamed on Facebook Live by The Press Democrat. All the involved parties were boys and preliminary information indicates the three knew each other and had had prior physical altercations, according to authorities.

There were 27 students, three aides and one teacher in the classroom when the incident began, authorities said. Instructors broke up the initial fight, but the conflict continued and the freshman took out a folding knife and stabbed the two juniors, according to authorities.

The victims made their way to the school nurse and were alert, conscious and taken to a hospital, authorities said. One of the boys, a 16-year-old with three wounds in the upper body, died, according to authorities, who said the other boy was injured once in the left hand and is expected to survive.

The freshman fled and was found hiding in a creek behind St. Eugene’s Cathedral, where officers took the 15-year-old into custody less than an hour after the incident, authorities said. Students were dismissed early and reunited with their parents on the football field.

“The tragedy that happened here today is heartbreaking,” Superintendent Anna Trunnell said during the news conference, adding she planned to focus on meeting the immediate physical and emotional needs of students and staff.

There are no school resource officers or metal detectors on campus at Montgomery High School, authorities said. Trunnell noted she would assess her approach to supporting students and helping them feel safe.

“Chief, why has it taken a loss of life for you guys to start caring about us?” asked a person at the news conference who appeared to be a student and whose question was met with applause and cheers.

Chief John Cregan replied that it was the school board that decided to remove resource officers from campus and that he had advocated for law enforcement to return to school grounds. Students continued to ask questions as Cregan and Trunnell left the news conference, and they were assured by Sgt. Christopher Mahurin that a community meeting could be held to address their concerns.

Anyone with information about or video of the altercation is asked to contact police.