LINDENHURST, N.Y. (WPIX) – A 13-year-old boy was stabbed in the hallway of a Long Island, New York, middle school and airlifted to a hospital, police and a district official said Monday.
Suffolk County police were called to Lindenhurst Middle School around 12:30 p.m.
The boy was stabbed in the leg near the upper groin area by a 12-year-old male student, according to police. The victim was airlifted to a local hospital in critical but stable condition, police said. The boy lost a lot of blood and underwent surgery at the hospital, authorities said.
The stabbing happened in the second-floor hallway during a dispute between the two students, which is currently under investigation, according to Suffolk County Police Deputy Inspector Sean Beran.
Eighth-grade student Lucas Leguizamon told WPIX he saw the stabbing.
“I was going to my class and there was a kid and they were fighting. And then he pulled out the knife and he stabbed him in the leg and there was blood everywhere … Everyone was screaming and the teachers were running around,” Leguizamon said.
A school staff member quickly applied a tourniquet to the boy’s leg to help prevent further blood loss, police said.
The 12-year-old boy was taken into custody and charged with juvenile delinquency, Beran said. Police are investigating how he was able to bring the 6-inch knife into the school.
In a statement addressed to “Lindenhurst school families,” Superintendent Anthony J. Davidson said there was an altercation involving a knife between the two students in a hallway. The building was immediately placed under lockdown and police were called. The lockdown was lifted over an hour later.
“Please know, all other students are remaining in their classrooms and are safely in the care of our staff, Davidson said in the statement. “I recognize that hearing about today’s isolated incident is concerning for all. Be assured, that the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority.”
Extra police will be on patrol in the coming days near schools in Lindenhurst, authorities said.
The stabbing happened less than two hours after three children and three adults were killed in a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, according to police. The Nashville Fire Department said the shooting happened at The Covenant School, a private Christian school, just before 10:15 a.m.
When police entered the school’s first story, they heard gunshots coming from the second floor, Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron said. They immediately “went to the gunfire,” he said, where they found a woman armed with two assault rifles and a handgun who was firing.
Three children and three adults were shot and killed, police confirmed in a press conference. The three adult victims were staff members.
Nashville police reported that officers shot and killed the suspect, who was described as a 28-year-old woman from Nashville.
Nexstar affiliate station WKRN contributed to this report.
