Update Sat. night:
The Hartford Police Dept. says the 13-year-old victim was pronounced dead at 5:35 pm Saturday.
Mayor Luke Bronin issued this statement: “Our city grieves for this child lost, for his loved ones, his friends, his teachers, and the entire SMSA family. We still have much to learn about the circumstances of this tragedy, and about how a child had access to such a shocking quantity of such deadly drugs, and our police department will continue their investigation and seek to hold accountable the adults who ultimately are responsible for this child’s death. In the meantime, our prayers are with everyone touched by this loss, and we will do everything we can to support the SMSA community.”
Update Fri. afternoon:
Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert says the 13-year-old victim remains in grave condition. It's believed that student brought fentanyl to school. A search turned up 40 bags in two classrooms and the gym, where the student collapsed. The two other students were treated and released by Thursday night.
Thursday's story:
A 13-year-old boy is in grave condition after an apparent fentanyl overdose at Hartford's Sport and Medical Sciences Academy, according to Mayor Luke Bronin. Two other seventh graders are also under observation at Connecticut Children's in Hartford.
Bronin says a student had brought the fentanyl into the magnet school, and that a police search turned up "multiple, additional bags" of the powerful opiate located around the building.
The severely ill student collapsed at about 10:30 a.m. in the school gym. After a school nurse began CPR, emergency officials arrived and took over the care, restoring the student's heart rhythm, according to Deputy Fire Chief Mario Oquendo, Jr.
Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez says the three students had been together in a classroom earlier. Officials say it's unclear if the second and third students ingested the drug.
The school was evacuated and drug-sniffing dogs were brought in to help with a thorough search of the building. Police Chief Jason Thody said that because fentanyl can be dangerous when airborne, those who were evacuated from the school had to be decontaminated with a cleaning solution that dissolves and neutralizes the drug.
Bronin calls fentanyl a poison, and is asking for help from families: "Please, if you're a parent, have that tough conversation with your children tonight, that if anybody offers, suggests that they experiment with or ingest some substance that they think is a drug, or they don't know what it is: Don't do it, stay a mile away, and for God's sake, please report it so that we can try to protect your child, their friends and every kid."
