Security tight at Mililani High day after stabbing sent 2 students to hospital
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Classes at Mililani High School will resume as regularly scheduled on Tuesday, but there will be increased security on campus.
This comes a day after a teen was arrested for allegedly stabbing two fellow students, sending them to a hospital in serious condition.
After the incident, the school was placed on lockdown for about an hour and then students were released from class early.
The incident happened in a second-floor hallway at about 10:15 a.m., when students were out for recess.
An Emergency Services Department spokeswoman said the two injured students ― a male and female, both 16 ― were taken to the Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition.
The suspect, a senior, allegedly attacked two juniors with a knife that had a 3- to 4-inch blade, according to police sources.
“I felt little bit scared because a lot of people were panicking in our classroom," said junior Noah Oliver.
Both teens got stitches and the male victim has been released from the hospital.
After the incident, parents rushed to the school to pick up shaken teens.
“It was pretty crazy,” said senior Hope Ishizaka. “People were just running in different classes because we were coming from recess.”
Her mother, Chris, said she had initially hoped that the lockdown was a drill.
“I can just imagine how traumatizing that is to witness something like that,” she said.
“I’m a little concerned, but I trust that everything is already set. He’s been apprehended. It’s unfortunate that it happened but I still feel pretty safe about sending our kids back to school.”
Junior Jayden Barbadillo-Diaz said he knows the suspect.
“I never thought it would happen. I thought he was a cool guy. We used to hang out,” he said.
Sources say the suspect and victims were friends who were in a garage band together.
In a statement, schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said officials are still gathering details on the incident and will update parents and staff with information as it becomes available.
“Our priority is to support the students and families of those impacted by today’s incident,” she said.
“We are committed to ensuring that our schools continue to be safe spaces for learning, and as such the well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority.”
Though classes will resume Tuesday, ACT tests that were scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed until March 24.
Police officers, security staff from neighboring schools, and additional personnel will be on campus Tuesday. Additional counselors will also be available to support students, staff and their families.
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