A 14-year-old student stabbed three teachers and two students at a college in southern Spain on Thursday, an extremely rare incident in the country where political and religious authorities have called for “urgent reflection” on violence.
According to Adrian Dominguez, a police spokesman, the teenager armed with two knives delivered several blows to the victims shortly after classes began at the Elena García Armada public school in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia.
“The police found him on the third floor, he had the two knives with him that were used to attack three teachers and two students,” he told the press. The student was checked and taken to the police station, he added.
Regional education manager Patricia del Pozo said four of the five injured were being treated in hospital. The only serious injury, a teacher who was hit in the eye, required surgery, she continued.
“Angry” parents
The school, which was cordoned off by police, saw a crowd of worried parents gathering outside the closed gates in the morning to hear news about their children, according to images shown on Spanish television.
The mayor of Jerez de la Frontera, Maria José Garcia-Pelayo, described the situation as “dramatic” and said that “all the parents were outside the facility wishing they could hug their children.”
“We are all upset,” she continued, very moved.
The students who have now been able to leave the facility could benefit from psychological support, she assured.
According to several student statements, the suspect stabbed students in his class and the teacher, who was struck in the eye, before leaving the class and going to another class.
“I saw the guy with two knives and an expression on his face that suggested he wanted to stab everyone,” one student told Canal Sur television, without giving his first and last name.
“He ran to the back (of the class), left his backpack on the floor and took out the knives before shouting: ‘I’m going to kill you’ (…) We are in shock,” said each other on the channel La Sexta, also under the cover of anonymity. “He ran after people, everyone went to the playground,” he added.
“We don’t know the reasons” that led this teenager to make such a gesture, said the regional president of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, who admitted that she was “scared” because the situation could have been “much worse.”
Once the age of criminal responsibility is reached in Spain, which is 14, the suspect can be prosecuted.
“Urgent consideration”
This news, extremely rare in the country, caused a stir and led to calls from several authorities to start a discussion about violence.
“We must initiate a collective reflection on the role that violence plays in all areas: television, cinema, (video) games, in the social sphere (…) in social networks,” emphasized Juanma Moreno, one of the main leaders of the largest party of the Spanish right, the People’s Party.
“This invites us to urgent reflection for our society (…) this news informs us of a serious situation at present and of an equally difficult prospect for the future,” added the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference, Mgr. Francisco César García Magán .