Teen accused in Brandon high school sword attack planned to hurt others, police chief says
The 16-year-old accused of seriously assaulting another student with a sword at a Brandon high school Tuesday was planning to attack more victims, police say.
Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates released new details Wednesday morning of the sword attack at Neelin High School.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, Bates told a news conference.
TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN
Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said today that police don't yet know where the teen got the sword or whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
'It's clear that the suspect had malicious intentions and our officers' intervention on this day prevented further bloodshed,' said Bates. 'We know that certainly the harms that were intended were beyond the individual victim involved.'
The 15-year-old victim remains in stable condition in hospital with stab wounds to his chest, thighs, forearms and hands.
The accused teen, who is in custody, is facing charges of attempted murder, uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and disguise with intent.
The disguise with intent charge suggests the teen tried to conceal his identity, but Bates said he could not reveal those details.
The 16-year-old appeared in a Brandon courtroom Wednesday morning.
Bates said police don't yet know where the teen got the sword or whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
'Clearly the actions are deranged,' he said in response to a question about whether mental illness is suspected as a factor.
'In terms of the medical situation involving the youth involved, that will be something that will be further assessed. We need to understand and know why and dissect what contributed to this so we can prevent future incidents of this nature.'
Brandon police responded to a call from a Neelin student who said, 'a male is going crazy and holding a sword' at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday.
The response was led by a BPS school resource officer, who got to the school within three minutes, Bates said Wednesday.
Officers found the teen several minutes later and used a Taser electroshock weapon during the arrest, while other police gave the victim emergency first aid.
'Their heroic actions directly prevented further harm,' Bates said.
School officials took immediate emergency action to protect students.
'Were it not for those lockdown procedures and the safe securing of the students that were in harm's way, (and) the staff that were in harm's way, for that matter, we would be having a very different discussion today,' the police chief said.
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The school resource officer had no prior interactions with the student accused in the attack, said Bates, adding police are thinking of the young victim and his family as 'he recovers from this senseless act of violence.'
'A school should always be a place of safety, a place to learn, grow and thrive,' he said.
Mathew Gustafson, superintendent of the Brandon School Division, said he's concerned for the well being of students, their families and staff at the high school after the attack.
'We have a crisis response team in place, but our support will not only be for today, but will be ongoing into the future,' said Gustafson.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
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