A 16-year-old student at West Potomac High School was rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning after being stabbed in a school hallway by a 15-year-old classmate.
According to Fairfax County Police Major Elizabeth Melendez, during the press conference, the stabbing occurred around 9:40 AM following a violent altercation involving three students.
One of them—identified as the 15-year-old suspect—pulled out a knife and stabbed a fellow student, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
The victim, initially rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, has since stabilized.
Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County Police Department confirmed the suspect, now in custody, will face charges of malicious wounding.
A third student, also 15, is being questioned but faces no charges at this time.
Both the victim and the perpetrator, described as Hispanic, were known to each other, though police are still unraveling the circumstances.
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NEW: 16-year-old high school student rushed to the hospital after being stabbed at West Potomac High School in Virginia.
Horrific.
A teenage student was left in critical condition after being stabbed by a 15-year-old student at school.
According to police, the 15-year-old… pic.twitter.com/UBPOpvcIxk
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 24, 2025
The knife used in the attack has been recovered, though questions remain about how it made its way into the school.
According to Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, no weapons detection system was in place at West Potomac High—despite Fairfax County Public Schools announcing a so-called “pilot program” earlier this year.
“We’re currently in the middle of a pilot structure this spring, and they were not in place at this school this morning, but they were at another school in Fairfax County,” Dr. Michelle Reid said.
When pressed about whether a metal detector could have prevented the stabbing, Reid hedged, claiming, “It depends on the setting for the detectors. There are a variety of settings, and I don’t have information on the length of the knife or the type of knife at this time to correctly answer that. But once we do, we can provide that.”
Dr. Michelle Reid called the incident “isolated” and insisted the school is safe, despite the chaos that unfolded.
Parents, however, were furious. Many demanded to retrieve their children, only to be met with bureaucratic delays and vague assurances about “modified lunch schedules” and counseling services.
One parent, exasperated, challenged Reid: “I don’t care about lunch right now. I want to check my daughter out. Why can’t I?”
The school’s “stay put” order, described by some as a lockdown, kept students inside as a crime scene was processed, intensifying fears among families.
“Communication is key in anything like this. Let’s call it what it is. It’s a lockdown. Let’s get that notification out so parents are that we can’t communicate with our kids,” the parent added.
