Student dies after being stabbed at Fitzgerald High School in Warren

16-year-old girl dies after stabbing in classroom; 17-year-old girl in custody

WARREN, Mich. – A 16-year-old student died at a hospital Wednesday morning after she was stabbed by another student at Fitzgerald High School in Warren. 

READFatal stabbing inside Fitzgerald High School: Here's what we know

Police said there was a fight between a 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old girl. The 17-year-old took out a kitchen-style knife and stabbed the 16-year-old twice in the chest.

The 17-year-old girl was taken into police custody at the school. Police recovered the knife, which was brought into the school. Police are investigating how and when the knife was brought to the school. 

No other students were injured. 

The stabbing happened about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and the girl was pronounced dead at the hospital about 9:24 a.m. 

Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Mich. (WDIV)

Resource officer rushes to help victim

During a news conference later Wednesday morning, Warren police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said the school resource officer immediately began CPR on the victim until emergency personnel arrived and rushed her to St. John St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital. 

Dwyer said the altercation involved a male student at the school. 

"It's possible that both the victim and the suspect had a relationship with the male student," he said. 

The victim and suspect both were straight-A students who had not been in any kind of trouble at the school before, Dwyer said. The victim was a member of the school's cross country, robotics club, color guard, marching band, National Honors Society, student council and an organization called A Generation of Promise. 

Watch the Wednesday morning police news conference here: 

Stabbing happened in classroom

Dwyer said there were 20 to 30 other students in the classroom at the time of the stabbing. Class had just started when the altercation began. Police are interviewing the students and taking witness statements.

The teacher also was in class at the time and assisted the resource officer. 

"The teacher came to the assistance of the school resource officer who was administrating CPR to the victim," Dwyer said. 

Grief counseling will be provided to students. 

Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Mich. (WDIV)

Classes canceled

Students were dismissed from the school on Wednesday morning. Thursday classes have been canceled.  

Fitzgerald High School is part of the Fitzgerald Public Schools district based in Warren. 

The district released this statement about the stabbing: 

We are deeply saddened to share that the Fitzgerald High School student who was stabbed this morning passed away at the hospital. Our hearts and prayers go out to the student’s family and we offer our deepest sympathy. Students at Fitzgerald High School were released at 10 a.m. this morning. On Thursday, Sept. 13, Fitzgerald High School will be closed however the middle school and elementary schools will be open. At the High School we have deployed additional counselors, psychologists and social workers for students and staff who need support during this difficult time. Students and their parents may come to the High School between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. for support and assistance. We are working very closely with the police department on this matter as well as conducting an internal school review of the incident which will review all our current safety procedures and protocols. This is a time of mourning for the Fitzgerald Community and we ask for you to respect the privacy of the victim’s family. Please check Facebook and our website for updates.

The school is situated along Ryan Road just north of 9 Mile Road. 


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