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Tag: School Violence

  • Paine College Shooting Leaves One Critically Injured

    A second shooting Monday within a 24-hour time period at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia has left one student seriously wounded. The victim was shot in the head inside a dormitory, and the the injury is life threatening. A 21-year-old student labeled as a “person of interest” was taken into custody, according to the Richmond Sheriff’s office.

    The possible attacker was found roughly two hours after an argument occurred in Haygood Hall, which culminated in the shooting. Sgt. Michael McDaniel stated that the male student remains in custody, but has not yet been identified or formally charged.

    A separate shooting had occurred Sunday afternoon on the Paine College campus after a pair of gunman fired into Gray Hall, another men’s dormitory. Two students suffered minor injuries in that incident, and the gunmen were not students. Officials have stated that there was no connection between the shootings yet established.

    Paine College is a historically black institution that was founded in 1882. There are roughly 900 students enrolled at present, and notable alumni include actor Danny Glover. Paine College has a 64-acre campus located near downtown Augusta. The majority of the residence halls, classroom buildings and the library are located in the main campus area.

    After the 1 p.m. shooting Monday, the Paine College campus was on lock down for five hours, and classes are scheduled to resume Tuesday, with the final day of the semester being Wednesday. Nearby Georgia Regents University, as well as several nearby schools and a hospital were also closed.

    The Sheriff’s office said that additional deputies will be on the Paine College campus as a result of the rash of shootings, and commented, “the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office will be augmenting the Paine College Police to provide additional safety and security at Paine College until further notice.”

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  • Milford Stabbing Suspect Under Psych Evaluation

    Defense attorney Richard Meehan said Saturday that the 16-year-old Milford, Connecticut stabbing suspect has been committed to a mental hospital to undergo psychiatric evaluation, after murdering 16-year-old Maren Sanchez at Jonathan Law High School Friday. The suspect will likely remain in a psych ward for two weeks, and won’t be present at an arraignment scheduled Monday before a judge in New Haven.

    Jonathan Law students have identified Sanchez’ attacker as Christopher Plaskon, who is described as an average student who had friends, and maintained no history of violence. Plaskon had developed a crush on Sanchez, who had recently begun dating another student.

    So far Plaskon has been charged as a juvenile, though there is a possibly his status will be amended to adult. There’s been speculation that Sanchez was stabbed in a Jonathan Law hallway after refusing to be the suspect’s prom date. Plaskon allegedly pushed her down a stairwell and attacked her with a kitchen knife. Milford Police Chief Keith Mello revealed that Sanchez suffered severe wounds to her head, neck and chest, and was later pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital shortly after 7:15 am. The attack occurred on the day of the Jonathan Law prom was scheduled, which was postponed.

    Roughly 200 people attended a vigil Friday night for Sanchez at Walnut Beach in Milford. Some students wore their prom dresses and tuxedos to honor Sanchez as prom queen posthumously:

    Sanchez was a popular honors student, junior class president and an athlete.

    Edward Kovac, a cousin of Sanchez, commented, “The unexpected and sudden loss of our beloved family member Maren Victoria Sanchez is both shocking and devastating. Maren should be celebrating at her prom this evening with her friends and classmates. Instead, we are mourning her death and we are trying as a community to understand this senseless loss of life.”

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  • Spring High School Stabbing Leaves 1 Dead, Kids Afraid

    Spring High School, located about 20 miles north of Houston, was the scene of a bloody confrontation this morning after four students were involved in a fight that escalated into violence.

    17-year old Joshua Broussard was stabbed to death in the fight, which left three other students wounded; one of them, a 16-year old student, was taken to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston by air-ambulance.

    Lakesia Brent, mom to a 17-year old student, said she received several frantic texts from her son this morning asking her to come pick him up.

    “He’s just afraid,” she said.

    Brent also said that acts of violence were not uncommon at the school last year, calling it “ridiculous”.

    Officials say they have three other people in custody for a line of questioning regarding the confrontation, but they have not made any arrests yet. As of now, they are following up on allegations that the fight occurred due to gang activity.

    “However, deputies had not been called to the school about gang violence before today,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.