Teen Killed In Aptos High Stabbing; Investigators Ask For Help

APTOS, CA — A 17-year-old Aptos High School student died Tuesday after an on-campus stabbing that resulted in the arrest of two students following an hourslong lockdown, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said.

The unidentified boy suffered multiple stab wounds after an attack around 2:20 p.m., the sheriff's office said in a statement. He was flown to a trauma center, where he died.

"The death of our student at Aptos High School is a loss that impacts each of us profoundly and raises many emotions, concerns, and questions for our students, families, staff and community," Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez wrote in a letter to the schools community. "As we move forward each day, our collective commitment is to support students, families, staff and administration dealing with grief, concerns about safety and other difficult feelings."

The campus was placed on lockdown, and students were held hours after their normal release time as deputies combed the campus in search of an assailant. Deputies shut down Freedom Boulevard at Mariner Way and asked people to avoid the area. Parents staged at the sheriff's office service center next to the Cabrillo College softball field.

Two students were arrested as a result of the search and interviews, the sheriff's office said. Deputies believe the incident was isolated. The students were not identified.

Detectives were told that a video of the attack may have been captured on a cell phone and are asking all parents and students to turn in any evidence they may have.

The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information or evidence was asked to call 831-454-7702.

The sheriff's office said it will work with Aptos High School to keep families apprised of the latest in the investigation. Parents or students with questions should contact the high school with questions about resources or other matters.

Counselors, mental health clinicians and psychologists will be available to Aptos High students and staff beginning Friday. Resources will also be available on other campuses.

Students are especially vulnerable to depression, anxiety, self-blame and guilt after an on-campus death, Rodriguez wrote.

"We have received an outpouring of concern around campus safety and will continue to listen and seek a model of staffing and support that is responsive to the needs of our community," she wrote.

See also: Aptos High Lockdown Lifted After On-Campus Stabbing; 2 Detained