Stabbing At Methuen High School Sparks Lockdown, Sends Students Home

METHUEN, MA — A stabbing at Methuen High School put the school under lockdown before dismissing classes for the rest of the day on Monday.

Methuen Public Schools Superintendent Brandi Kwong said in a statement that the victim is not a student at the school, and a juvenile is in the custody of Methuen police.

Methuen Mayor Neil Perry said a former student came to the high school looking to fight another student. The former student was stabbed and taken to a local hospital with what police called non-life-threatening injuries. The current student was not stabbed, and sustained minor cuts and bruises in the fight, police said.

Police and school officials ordered a shelter in place for students while investigating the incident, but were dismissed at 1:15 p.m.

"At this time, this does not appear to be a random incident and we are fully cooperating with Methuen Police as they conduct a full investigation," Kwong said in a statement to the school after dismissing students for the rest of the day. "We believe that there is no further threat to students, staff, and the community at large."

No additional information was immediately available.