RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Community High School students and staff arrived at school on Monday to find hallways covered in blood.
An intruder broke into the E. Brookland Park Boulevard school around 1 a.m. Sunday and smashed windows, Richmond Public Schools spokesperson Sarah Abubaker said. The intruder injured himself and walked around the school.
"Fortunately, our security system was triggered, and night security arrived within 15 minutes of the incident," Abubaker said. "Richmond Police were called to the scene, the intruder was arrested and given medical treatment, and RPD is continuing to actively investigate the incident."
The blood, however, remained splattered in the halls through Monday.
"It is unfathomable to walk into a school building and see it in such a state," Richmond School Board member Kenya Gibson said. "Every single one of the students, every staff member, deserves a sincere apology."
"This should not have happened, and we apologize for any distress caused to our community," Abubaker said.
"It smelled so bad in the hallway," one student wrote on social media.
Abubaker said the building was fully secured, cleaned, and disinfected Monday afternoon.
"Providing a safe and secure learning environment is of top priority to Richmond Community High School and Richmond Public Schools, and we take these incidents very seriously," Abubaker said. "We will be reviewing our security and custodial protocols to ensure a safe and clean campus for our community."
"Clearly there are issues with those [cleaning] procedures, where things are just not happening. And the things that are falling through the cracks are not minor issues. These are significant issues," Gibson said.
The CBS 6 Problem Solvers asked Richmond Schools about the potential health hazard presented to the school community by exposing them to the bloodstains. This post will be updated when the school system responds.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
