A Connecticut teenager was fatally stabbed on Saturday night outside of a home in Shelton, according to police.
James “Jimmy” McGrath, 17, was one of four people stabbed outside the home and sent to the hospital. Mr McGrath died of his wounds. The other three people have spoken to police, who are actively investigating the incident. As of Tuesday, no arrests in the case had yet been made.
Mr McGrath was a two-sport athlete who played football and lacrosse at Fairfield College Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school located on the campus of Fairfield College. His death has shocked the school community.
“The Fairfield Prep community mourns the loss of junior Jimmy McGrath and we extend our deepest sympathies to the McGrath family,” a Monday statement from Fairfield administrators read. “Jimmy was a beloved student and athlete on the football and lacrosse teams, and will forever be a member of the Prep Brotherhood.”
Some 1,000 people reportedly attended a private prayer service for Mr McGrath on the school’s campus on Sunday. The school also held a service on Monday morning. A GoFundMe set up to support the McGrath family has, as of Tuesday, raised more than $90,000 — exceeding several times over its $15,000 goal.
The school is continuing to provide expanded mental health services and support groups to students this week as students and teachers alike grapple with the violence.
The stabbing incident did not occur at Mr McGrath’s home, but at another home in Shelton — a town 95 per cent white town with a low poverty rate located west of New Haven. Christina Lewis-Fin, who lives across the street from the crime scene, said she was stunned.
“Nothing ever happened in the whole year we lived here,” Louis-Fin told ABC 7. “And we moved from Bridgeport, so we saw it more often in Bridgeport, but we never saw it here. And the children are the reason we moved here.”
