A 14-year-old student at Julius E. Sprauve School was stabbed at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the school, Police Department spokesman Melody Rames said Friday.
Roy L. Schneider Hospital spokesman Sam Topp said the youth was treated at Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center before being released. "He had a single stab wound to the left chest area," Topp said.
The stabbing shocked St. John residents. "It is an unusual event for St. John. We don’t have this kind of stuff here," St. John Administrator Leona Smith said.
Sprauve School Principal Mario Francis said this was the "first ever" stabbing at the school. He said the motive remains unknown.
According to Rames, two "young men" who attended Sprauve School were arrested Thursday in connection with the stabbing. She said that a 16-year-old St. Thomas youth from Smith Bay was charged with third-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Another St. John youth, 15, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting.
The two arrested students are now at the Youth Rehabilitation Center on St. Croix, Rames said.
The student who was stabbed is a St. John resident. "He was uncooperative and wouldn’t give any information to the police," Rames said of the injured student.
Francis said the 16-year-old used a knife of "some sort" to allegedly injure the other student.
The stabbing happened in one of the school’s classrooms. Francis said that there were no fights, no brawls and no loud arguments before the incident occurred.
"The teacher said to the student that it looked like he had some blood on his shoulder. He just shrugged his shoulder like it was no big deal," Francis said.
The school’s other students were offered counseling, and Francis said the school held an assembly to discuss the stabbing.
Education Department spokesman Juel Anderson did not respond to phone calls and an email requesting comment.
