A 15-year-old boy has been accused of stabbing another 16-year-old in the parking lot of Sachem High School East in Farmingville. The accused reportedly used a 4-inch kitchen knife to stab the victim in the upper chest, seriously injuring him, as per reports. The accused's family has claimed the teen was bullied.
Meanwhile, the victim has undergone surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, a CBS News report added. The teen has now been arraigned on Friday on assault and weapons charges. The suspect, who remains unnamed due to being underage, was taken into custody and then charged shortly after the stabbing in Long Island, New York. He has now pleaded not guilty in court.
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The judge has ordered him to be held without bail and an Order of Protection has been issued as well, as per the report. The suspect is now expected back in court on Monday.
Sachem stabbing accused's family claims he was bullied
Both the accused and the victim are students of the same high school. The accused's family has claimed that the stabbing was retaliation to the bullying the teen faced.
{{/usCountry}}Both the accused and the victim are students of the same high school. The accused's family has claimed that the stabbing was retaliation to the bullying the teen faced.
{{/usCountry}}Family friend Tudy Langhorne said, “We're going to support this kid because to me, he protected himself. This kid was a good kid, and he still is. Okay. First of all, he's been being bullied for the last three months,” as per ABC7NY.
“When they go to school, I expect for the school to protect my kids. At the end of the day, I felt like this should not have escalated,” the suspect's mother added. Meanwhile, the family friend also questioned the school's response and asked, “this kid didn't want to fight. So why didn't the school stop it?”.
Riva Hopkins, the suspect's cousin, also said, “So I don't condone the bullying, but also I don't condone the weapons, none of that. So I feel like both of the kids was in a wrong and everybody needs to take accountability and he's taking accountability.”
What authorities have said about the stabbing
Sachem Superintendent Patti Trombetta issued a statement, saying, “We understand the great concerns this incident may cause within the Sachem community. The District will proactively work with our own security team and the Suffolk County Police Department to address those concerns.”
Suffolk County Police has, in the meantime, increased patrols near Sachem High School East.