Two teenagers are in custody following a fight outside Minneapolis' Washburn High School. The fight happened around 7:45 Thursday night, when officers responded to reports of a stabbing at the school.
Justice Alan Page Middle School was hosting a band concert next door and was sent into lockdown for a time. Police say a 17 -year old with a non-life threatening stab wound was taken to the hospital.
Investigators also believe there was some gunfire during a fight following the initial incident, but broke up as police arrived on the scene.
Police found a 16-year-old juvenile male with a gun in a nearby yard. He was taken into custody. A 15-year old boy later showed up at Hennepin County Medical Center with a potentially life-threatening injury due to the fight, but it was not related to a stabbing or a shooting.
The school district now says a second person is in custody.
A neighbor, Tim Schmidt, spoke with WCCO-TV.
"It's really confusing to hear that in this part of town, and I know things like that happen in cities," says Schmidt. "We want to support the kids that need the help and be available for them. So, it's a community issue that we don't participate in. However we can help, we want to participate."
The investigation is ongoing according to Minneapolis Police who released the following statement late Friday morning.
Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department’s 5th Precinct responded to the report of a stabbing at this location and a call of an officer needs help. Arriving officers found a 17 year old juvenile male with a nonlife-threatening stab wound. He was transported by EMS to HCMC.
Preliminary information indicates that a large fight occurred after the stabbing and the crowd scattered as officers arrived. Given the reported size of the crowd of several dozen juveniles, other partner law enforcement agencies from nearby municipalities responded to assist. Officers heard shots, saw what they believed to be muzzle flashes, and shortly thereafter located a 16 year-old juvenile male with a gun in a nearby yard. There were no injuries reported from the gunshots. The juvenile male was taken into custody and transferred to JDC.
A 15 year old juvenile male was later self-transported to HCMC with a potentially life-threatening injury due to the fight, but not related to a stabbing or a shooting.
MPS issued a statement Friday morning:
Last night, an event at Washburn High School was disrupted by a large fight that involved weapons. Minneapolis Police were called and arrested two individuals. We are devastated that what started as a beautiful evening ended up with senseless violence.
School continued on at Washburn today, where students and staff had access to various supports if they wanted to process what happened with a trusted adult. Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is cooperating with police as they work on their investigation.
MPS will continue to do everything we can to ensure student and staff safety at school events.
