Abbotsford Secondary to stay closed indefinitely after deadly stabbing

ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – It’s a very difficult day for students, staff and parents of Abbotsford Senior Secondary School. Investigators are trying to figure out why a young man stabbed two girls yesterday around 2 p.m., one of whom has since died of her injuries. The other girl is still in the hospital and in stable condition.

Abbotsford Police have a young man in custody, but we still don’t know who the suspect is or why the girls were stabbed.

Grief counsellors are at a neighbouring church today to help anyone who may be struggling after yesterday’s horrific event. The school says the building will remain closed so police can “maintain the integrity” of their investigation.

Police Chief Bob Rich can’t reveal much about the suspect and admits there is still a lot of work to be done. “It appears he is not a student at this school and it is possible he has no connection to these two students.”

The man was quickly subdued by teachers until police arrived just minutes later.

There is video of the stabbing that quickly went viral shortly after the knife attack and police are asking anyone who has posted to social media, to take it down immediately. “We are aware of a video of the incident out there and that it is being shared everywhere on social media. Out of respect of the family, we are asking that this video not be shared further and not be broadcasted,” adds Rich.

Some people NEWS 1130 spoke to in the neighbourhood feel the violence is a symptom of a fast-growing city but that people are pulling together as a community. “Especially with social media spreading of the video, everybody in Abbotsford and the surrounding area is trying to keep that to an absolute minimum as they should out of respect for the family and their loved ones. It’s great to see Abbotsford still holds those values true,” says one man.

One person who lives a block away from the school says it’s difficult to come to terms with everything that has happened. “It used to be a small town, but things like this keep popping up and it’s crazy. It hits really close to home, figuratively and literally.”

Police are not releasing the names or ages of the victims.

Rich is also commending staff at the school for stepping in. “I believe the staff were so proactive and so quick that further casualties were probably prevented because of their actions… it was very quick for them to subdue the suspect.”

While the school is closed today, a site has been set up in the gym at St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church at 33333 Mayfair Avenue for people to access support and information.

The investigation is now being handled by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and there is an appeal for anyone with information to call the IHIT Tip-line at 1.877.551.4448 or CrimeStoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS.

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