Five people were recovering in hospital on Friday after a mass stabbing incident at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington state. A high school student has been charged with multiple counts of first-degree assault following the attack on Thursday.
Authorities said four students and an adult security guard were stabbed or cut during the incident, which occurred at lunchtime. Four of the victims were initially in critical condition, but all were reported stable on Friday. The alleged perpetrator sustained minor wounds and was treated before being taken into custody.
A spokesperson for Tacoma police said first responders were called to the school after reports of a fight between students. One parent told local media that the altercation was over a battery for a vaping device. “There’s going to be potential loss of life just for a vape battery? That seems so idiotic,” the parent said.
The school was placed on lockdown and later evacuated. Classes and after-school activities were cancelled until Monday, when counsellors and additional administrative staff will be on campus to support students and staff, according to a statement on the school’s website.
The suspect, a juvenile, was booked into Pierce County jail on five counts of first-degree assault. It was not immediately clear if the suspect remained in custody on Friday morning, and details about the weapon used have not yet emerged. Foss High School, with 557 enrolled students, was the site of a fatal shooting in 2007.
