HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Sixth grader Nicholas Yanza and his mother were one of the dozens of students leaving Brookland Middle School after a stabbing happened in one of the school's locker rooms on Tuesday morning.
"What just happened is unacceptable," Yanza said while standing outside of the school.
At 11:44 a.m., Brookland Middle School's SRO received information about a stabbing incident. Both of the students involved are seventh graders who attend the school.
Henrico Police say they recovered a small pocketknife from the scene and a person of interest is in custody. Police said this was an isolated incident and there are no other threats to the school.
“This is unfortunately an incident where we’re seeing kids unable to resolve conflict without resorting to violence and unfortunately, we’re seeing this more often than not," said Henrico Police Chief Eric English.
The relationship between the two students and the motive behind the stabbing is still being investigated.
English said there are no metal detectors at the middle school.
Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell said there the county will assess the incident and evaluate safety measures going forward.
“Henrico, like every locality nationally right now, we are seeing that youth violence, that there is an uptick in that, and that’s concerning to all of us," Cashwell said. "So, making sure that we’re not only reevaluating our safety plans but carefully considering all the wraparound supports we have for our students, whether it be school counseling, psychologists, social workers, making sure that the adults in our building are trained to connect students that may be experiencing difficulty with trusted adults.”
Roscoe D. Cooper III, a Henrico School Board member who represents the school's district, said the school system and the community at large will need to work together to prevent violence among students from happening on and off school grounds.
"We have to earn that trust back. We have to try to make them feel safe. Make them feel supported and make them feel that they are our priority and that their safety is our priority," Cooper said. "Every incident, whether it's in Richmond, Hanover, Chesterfield or Henrico, it's one community. It's the Richmond community."
Dr. Cashwell said counselors and other support staff will be ready to assist students and their families the following school day.
When CBS6 asked Nicholas Yanza if he wanted to return to school tomorrow, this was his response. "No. I feel unsafe."
Henrico Police said a student's threat to bring a gun onto school grounds Monday is also being investigated and is not related.
