Franklin Regional High School stabbing

Details

At around 7:13 a.m., the attacker, armed with a pair of 8-inch kitchen knives and wearing all-black clothing, stabbed and slashed students in the first-floor science hallway, just minutes before the start of school. At least six of the first students he stabbed were in a large crowd and only noticed that they were bleeding, not knowing that they were intentionally stabbed. Witnesses described the attacker as appearing emotionless during the rampage. The attacker was then subdued by the assistant principal, Sam King, with the help of a student, Ian Griffith, after spotting a school resource officer who was wounded. When he was restrained by King, the attacker said he would not drop the knives because "my work is not done, I have more people to kill." He was later treated for injuries to his hand. Five minutes after the stabbings began, police arrived and secured the school.

Victims

A total of 22 people suffered stabbing injuries during the rampage. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) treated twelve patients. UPMC officials stated that two boys were in critical condition, two boys were in serious condition, and a boy and two girls were in fair condition. One victim was placed on a ventilator after a knife pierced his liver, while another suffered an open wound to the face that required 11 stitches. Five UPMC patients had been discharged as of April 9: three boys, a girl, and an adult. The teenage victims ranged in age from 14 to 17. According to officials, none of the victims appeared to be specifically targeted. In addition to the stabbing victims, two other students suffered unrelated injuries while fleeing the school, and the attacker suffered injuries to his hand. On April 23, two victims were discharged from hospitals. On May 18, Greg Keener, the last of the victims, was discharged from Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville.

Aftermath

Eight of the injured people were taken to Forbes Regional Hospital in nearby Monroeville shortly thereafter. These people were hospitalized because they had suffered serious injuries, including "deep wounds to the abdomen", according to hospital officials. Witnesses say that the perpetrator, after stabbing the victims, "just got up and ran away really fast." Of the 22 victims, 21 were students and the other was a school resource officer. The affected school district, Franklin Regional School District, announced on its website that it was canceling high school classes, but not middle or elementary school ones.

Police chief Thomas Seefeld said that the alarms that went off during the stabbing, which occurred because Nate Scimio, a student, pulled the fire alarm shortly after the attack began, encouraging many people to evacuate the school, and that this led to the number of victims being lower than it otherwise would have been. However, testimony later clarified that it was Hribal who pulled the fire alarm after stabbing several victims, in order to let students flood the hallway and allow him to attack more victims. This testimony was supported by surveillance footage of Hribal pulling the fire alarm.

The school was closed down and cleaned up by a restoration company. On April 15, classes resumed at the school. On April 30, the Calvary Lutheran Church, a local church in Murrysville, set up a fund to assist Hribal's family in legal expenses, which currently holds $500 in donations.

On April 9, 2015, Murrysville marked the one-year anniversary of the stabbing rampage. Several local churches held worship services that night.

Suspect

Alex Hribal (born October 1, 1997), a then-16-year-old sophomore who has been described as "really shy," was taken into custody as the suspected perpetrator. He has also been described as "quiet," "smart" and as having "a good future ahead of him." He alleged that he was depressed, had suicidal thoughts during the fifth grade, and that those emotions returned while he was attending Franklin Regional High School. He was believed by police to have threatened at least two students by phone prior to the rampage, but neither student was one of the victims. Officials have declared that Hribal was responsible for the stabbing, that he stabbed people in multiple classrooms, and that he used two "straight knives", measuring 8 to 10 inches (20.32 to 25.4 cm), to carry it out. According to testimony, Hribal had begun planning the attack on September 22, 2013.

Several items belonging to Hribal were seized from his home, including a notebook with writing in it and a knife holder assumed to have held the two knives used in the attack. A cellphone was also seized from Hribal's school locker, as was a note dated April 6, which read, "I can't wait to see the priceless and helpless looks on the faces of the students of one of the 'best schools in Pennsylvania' realize their precious lives are going to be taken by the only one among them that isn't a plebian [sic]."

On June 10, 2014, a warrant was unsealed which stated that Hribal had written a document about the Norse legend Ragnarök, as well as his dissatisfaction with society. The warrant also stated that two students had received threatening phone calls on the day before the stabbing, which were suspected to have been from Hribal. On September 26, 2014, psychologist Bruce Chambers testified that Hribal was inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, that he identified with the perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and that he had originally planned to carry out the stabbing on April 20, the fifteenth anniversary of Columbine, but changed the date to April 9, the birthday of Eric Harris, because school was cancelled for April 20.

Legal proceedings

Hribal was initially charged as an adult, and initially faced charges of four counts of attempted homicide, 21 counts of aggravated assault, and one count of carrying a weapon on school property. On April 25, Hribal's charges were upgraded to 21 counts of attempted homicide and 21 counts of aggravated assault, which was due to the discovery of a note allegedly written by him that declared his intention to take lives during the attack. If convicted of all counts, Hribal faces up to 585 years of prison. His attorney is seeking a psychiatric evaluation, and is seeking to have his case transferred to juvenile court. If his lawyer succeeds, Hribal will be set free at the age of 21.

On April 28, Hribal's preliminary hearing was delayed until May 9 due to the new charges filed against him. On May 5, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that this hearing had been further postponed, this time until June 4, at the request of Hribal's lawyer. On June 11, Hribal, who was charged as an adult, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On June 11, 2014, Hribal's attorney, Patrick Thomassey, asked that Hribal be transferred to the juvenile treatment center Adelphoi Village, claiming that his mental and physical health had greatly deteriorated while he was held at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield, Pennsylvania. On July 10, Westmoreland County Judge Richard E. McCormick, Jr., signed a court order allowing Hribal to be assessed by Dr. Bruce E. Wright. The county's district attorney said this evaluation was necessary to respond to Thomassey's request. Hribal was scheduled to be formally arraigned on July 23. On August 12, 2014, it was reported that Hribal's trial had been set for October 6 in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court, although the date was canceled on September 17. The trial, initially rescheduled for December, was later rescheduled to March 2015, then again to May 30, 2015.

On September 26, 2014, while leaving a mental health hearing, Hribal told a news reporter that he was sorry for committing the attack. He was expected to be transferred to Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after passing a medical examination and psychiatric evaluation, but the hospital refused to admit him on September 30, reportedly due to safety concerns.

Three psychiatrists testified for the defense, saying that Hribal had major depressive disorder and schizotypal personality disorder. They all agreed that he was responding to treatment.

On May 29, 2015, a hearing that will determine whether the case will be moved to a juvenile court was rescheduled for June 22. The proper trial for the stabbing rampage was also rescheduled for at least July 6. On June 23, victims of the rampage testified in court about their injuries and urged the judge to try Hribal as an adult. On September 24, a judge ruled that Hribal must be transferred from a juvenile detention center to Westmoreland County Prison when he turns eighteen years old. This transfer was carried out on October 1, and the judge refused to set bail for Hribal on October 26, citing public safety concerns.

In June and November 2015, testimony statements were given by victims and defense experts in regards to the decision whether Hribal's case should be moved to juvenile court, a process that was finished on April 13, 2016. The prosecution argued that Hribal planned the attack in advance and traumatized his victims and the community; while Hribal's lawyer argued that no one was killed during the stabbings despite the serious injuries inflicted, and that the victims' testimonies indicated they appeared to have moved on. On May 9, 2016, the judge ruled that Hribal will be tried as an adult.

On November 21, 2016, the judge held off on making a decision regarding Hribal's mental illness plea. The prosecutors and the attorney Hribal will file written arguments in the next month-and-a-half over whether he should accept the plea. If the judge accepts the plea, Hribal could spend part of his sentence in a mental hospital until doctors determine he is well, and then finish the sentence in prison. If the plea is not accepted, Hribal will face trial where his attorney claims they will request a jury.

School security

The school was not equipped with metal detectors. Since February 2013, the school district has had 130 video cameras from various schools live streamed to police, explained as a precaution against violent incidents. On May 5, 2014, the school distributed clear backpacks to all of its students, courtesy of Monroeville car dealership #1 Cochran. School district spokeswoman Mary Catherine Reljac said in a statement that the measure was intended to "bring an added sense of safety and security during the school day as the school community continues to heal".

Reaction

Following the incident, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett visited Murrysville and held a press conference, giving a speech praising the heroes of the rampage, saying, "There are a number of heroes in this day. Many of them are students. Students who stayed with their friends and didn't leave their friends." He also called April 9 another "sad day" in the country and asked if schools should have metal detectors. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, Jr. released a statement on the incident, saying, "I am stunned by the senseless tragedy at Franklin Regional High School. Our schools should be places where children can learn and grow without fear of violence. I am inspired by the bravery of the school personnel and students, and I am grateful for the heroic work of the first responders, emergency and medical personnel who cared for those injured. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the entire Franklin Regional School District."

On April 10, U.S. President Barack Obama called Franklin Principal Ron Suvak to tell him that the FBI would continue to assist in the investigation of the attack.