California student fatally stabbed during fight at high school

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A California high school student was fatally stabbed during a fight in a classroom on Wednesday, authorities said.

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The 16-year-old student, who was not identified, was killed at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, KTVU reported. Another student, a 15-year-old boy, is in custody in connection with the other boy’s death, according to the television station.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Santa Rosa Police Department Chief John Cregan said the incident occurred at about 11:11 a.m. PST.

According to Cregan, the fight occurred inside an art classroom, The Press Democrat newspaper of Santa Rosa reported. Two junior students entered the classroom, which had 27 other students, and got into a fight with a freshman student, according to the newspaper.

The freshman used a knife to stab the other two students, Cregan told reporters. One student suffered three stab wounds in the upper torso and the other student was stabbed in the hand, The Press Democrat reported.

Officers arrived on the scene within four minutes of receiving a 911 call, KPIX-TV reported.

The 16-year-olds left the classroom and received treatment from a campus nurse, according to KTVU. One of the victims died at about 2:45 p.m. PST, according to the television station.

The freshman student was located about 40 minutes later near a creek behind St. Eugene’s Cathedral School, according to The Press Democrat.

The weapon, a 4- to 5-inch blade with a black handle, has not been found, KGO-TV reported.

The circumstances that led to the fight are unclear, according to The Associated Press. Cregan said the three students appeared to have known each other and had fought before.

“It appears that there had been some previous altercations between these students,” Cregan told reporters. He did not elaborate.

“This is truly a sad day,” Anna Trunnell, the Santa Rosa City Schools superintendent, said at the news conference. “The tragedy that happened here today is heartbreaking.”