KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A student was injured in a stabbing Tuesday morning at Northeast Middle School in the Kansas City Public Schools district, police said.
The victim was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department. A person of interest was detained and police did not believe there to be an ongoing threat.
The victim was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, the school district said in a letter sent to families and staff.
Officers responded after 9 a.m. to the school at 4904 Independence Ave. on reports of a stabbing. Arriving officers found the victim, a male student, inside a bathroom with stab wounds and immediately began rendering First Aid along with school security. Emergency medical crews responded and took the student to a hospital.
The school went into lockdown and police shut down streets in the area immediately surrounding the school.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said on Twitter that he was "horrified" to learn of the stabbing and that his office was in touch with the school district.
"Our schools should always be safe environments for our young people to learn," Lucas wrote on Twitter. "I am horrified to learn of a stabbing at a Kansas City middle school just after the beginning of the school day. We are in touch with our school district partners and authorities."
The stabbing occurred early in the school day. Classes begin at 8:20 and run to 3:20 p.m. The school has an enrollment of about 675 students in grades seven and eight as of late November, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Both the victim and the person detained are students at the school.
Da'Niro Moore, who is in the seventh grade, called from his science class and told his father, Carl Moore, they were on lockdown.
"I was very concerned. I know they have metal detectors but you can't keep them safe from everything," Carl Moore said. "It's for the individual to deescalate the situation."
Alberto Rodriguez, the father of seventh grader Naomi Rodriguez, said he is concerned for his daughter to go back to school. He hopes to get a clear explanation on how the stabbing happened.
"Why is it that this doesn't happen in other countries?" said Rodriguez, who is from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and has lived in Kansas City since 2001.
The school has metal detectors and only clear backpacks are allowed, according to the district.
The district was working with families on reuniting them with students who attend the school, said Elle Moxley, public relations coordinator for the district.
Students could be seen waving to parents from the second story window while waiting to be released from the school
"We're going to dismiss slowly, one class at a time, so that will take a little bit of time to clear them," Moxley said at the time. "Then we will be dismissing our car riders and walkers."
Parents were asked to pick up their students on the Chelsea Avenue side of the building.
Students with nowhere to go after school, or who needed a safe place to go, stayed at the school until arrangements were made with their families.
"We are gathering information and will be working closely with the KCPD to understand what happened today," Moxley said.
The early dismissal was completed shortly after noon, the district announced on Twitter. Included with the announcement was a letter sent home to families and staff.
"Your student's safety at school is our number one priority," Kelly Wachel, the district's chief communications and marketing officer, said in the letter. "Today and tomorrow, we will be providing additional information and counseling support to students and staff who need help processing today's events."
