15-year-old student stabbed, killed at St. Paul's Harding High School
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A 15-year-old student was killed in a stabbing inside St. Paul's Harding High School on Friday.
St. Paul police said they've apprehended a suspect, a 16-year-old boy who is also a student at the high school.
Police say they responded to the high school shortly after 11:45 a.m. to find staff members providing medical aid to the victim, who was transported to Regions Hospital, where he died. No other victims or suspects have been identified.
Authorities added that they're still working to learn what led up to the incident, and they're very early in their investigation. The Ramsey County medical examiner will identify the victim and determine his cause of death.
Gov. Tim Walz said that he was "heartbroken" for the Harding High School community.
As the dad of a St. Paul student, I’m heartbroken for the Harding High School community and the family of a student who lost their life today. We have offered our full support and have been assured that the area is now secure.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) February 10, 2023
The school went into lockdown around 11:45 a.m., and students were dismissed around 1:20 p.m. Some parents gathered outside the school and were able to call their children who were inside. Authorities say the school followed safety procedures as a result of the incident.
The stabbing is the city's first homicide of 2023.
The Minnesota Department of Education released the following statement:
We are deeply saddened with news of the death of a student at Harding High School in Saint Paul. Our thoughts go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the victim. We are also keeping fellow students and the educators and staff in the Harding community in our hearts.
Schools should be safe places for all to learn, teach and grow. Violence of any kind has no place in our communities, much less in our schools.
We join in solidarity with the Harding and Saint Paul Public Schools communities and offer our full support as they deal with this tragedy.
"We are doing everything we can to support the students, staff, families and community this evening and in the days and weeks ahead," said Joe Gothard, Superintendent for St. Paul Public Schools. "Right now our focus is on supporting the Harding High School community and those who were directly impacted by this horrible incident, especially the family of the victim. Our young people need us more than ever."
Please watch this video message from Superintendent Gothard about the tragic event at Harding Senior High School. Read an update here: https://t.co/vyfFzP9y5y pic.twitter.com/4kJDht5TMw
— Saint Paul Public Schools (@SPPS_News) February 11, 2023
Harding High School will be closed Monday, Gothard said in a press release.