Home Scandal and Gossip Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate during fight in bathroom

Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate during fight in bathroom

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Manuel J. Guzman Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate
Manuel J. Guzman Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate.
Manuel J. Guzman Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate
Manuel J. Guzman Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate

Manuel J. Guzman Missouri Eighth grader stabbed to death by classmate during fight in bathroom at Northeast Missouri School. Minor faces first degree murder. 

A Missouri Eighth grade student has died after being stabbed to death by a classmate during a fight in the boy’s bathroom earlier this week. 

Kansas City Police identified the victim of Tuesday’s stabbing at Northeast Missouri School as 14-year-old Manuel J. Guzman.

Authorities declined to reveal the name of the boy who allegedly stabbed the student ‘multiple times’ as a result of him being a minor.

The child appeared in juvenile court on Wednesday and was charged with first degree murder,  armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

The suspect remains held at the Juvenile Detention Center as prosecutors deliberated whether the boy would be tried as an adult or as a juvenile. 

‘Our schools should always be safe environments for our young people to learn,

Guzman died Tuesday night after being stabbed earlier in the day in a bathroom at the middle school that forces all students to go through a metal detector, police spokeswoman Donna Drake said. 

The students were  involved in a fight before Guzman was stabbed, police said. Cops have not disclosed a motive for what led to the two boys fighting in the bathroom. Also not immediately clear was whether school counseling was available prior to matters escalating. 

Police rushed to the scene after being alerted by a school security guard, according to KSN-TV. Once they had arrived at the school, officers found a wounded Guzman inside one of the bathrooms and immediately provided first aid assistance, before he was rushed to hospital. 

The school was placed on lockdown and closed for the rest of Tuesday, but school officials said classes resumed Wednesday. 

‘Our schools should always be safe environments for our young people to learn,Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on Twitter. ‘I am horrified to learn of a stabbing at a Kansas City middle school just after the beginning of the school day.’ 

A school board member told WDAF-TV that students usually walk through metal detectors in the morning before attending their first set of classes. Many teachers and school parents also don’t understand how the juvenile passed through the machines, or if he ever did in the first place. 

Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Dr Mark T. Bedell released a statement on Tuesday evening, notifying resident’s of Guzman’s death.

A community searches for answers

‘I am very saddened to hear that the middle schooler stabbed today at school has died. My condolences to the young man’s family, friends, schoolmates, and our community,’ he said.  

‘We will do everything we can to make sure we support the families who are involved in this tragedy through this difficult time,’ Bedlell added. 

Relatives created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Guzman’s funeral costs. As of Thursday morning, just under $23K was raised. 

The 675-student school has classes for grades seven and eight, according to public records provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

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