Stabbing at North Forsyth High School in North Carolina was accidental, self defense by 18 year old after 16-year-old teen, Cameron Graham pulling a knife on his friend, who despite suffering injuries himself had tried saving boy after knife ‘accidentally’ going through his heart.
An 18 year old North Carolina boy who was left with critical injuries after getting into a fight with a 16-year-old teen which led to him being fatally stabbed to death will not face any charges after officials saying the 18-year-old teen had acted in self defense.
Addressing Tuesday’s deadly incident at North Forsyth High School at Winston-Salem, which led to 16-year-old boy, Cameron Graham being fatally stabbed, the Forsyth District Attorney’s Office stated that no probable cause existed to charge the other surviving student.
Surviving 18-year-old had right to defend himself
He had a ‘right to defend himself, and that’s what he was trying to do,’ said Jim O’Neill addressing reporters during a Thursday press conference.
The Forsyth District Attorney said it was an accident over a scuffle for the knife, which Cameron Graham initially displayed. ‘This was not an intentional act on behalf of the teen who survived but a terrible accident,’ Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill reiterated.
The teen who survived tried to render aid and packed the wound and put pressure on it. The un-identified teen who survived the deadly fight suffered defensive wounds in an effort to wrestle the knife away from his friend, Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill stated.
Detectives with the The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said during the press conference that Graham and the 18-year-old, who knew each other well, were fighting over a THC vape pen when Graham produced a ‘three inch’ knife.
The two boys fought, and Graham was accidentally stabbed in the chest as the other teen tried to wrestle the knife from him. The 18-year-old suffered defensive wounds to his hands. The 18-year-old who survived the ‘fight’ was taken to hospital.
The two boys involved in fatal stabbing were friends and often rode bus together
District Attorney Jim O’Neill stated that the 18-year-old ‘cried and cried’ upon learning that Graham was dead. ‘There’s not a shred of evidence to suggest that this was anything more than an accident.’
On the day of the stabbing, just after 11 a.m, Tuesday morning, metal detectors weren’t used according to the The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.
In coming to its assessment, police and prosecutors stated dozens of students and witnesses were interviewed along with surveillance tape and cellphone videos reviewed.
Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill said the two involved were friends and had spoken earlier that morning and knew each other very well. They also rode the bus together.
Would a metal detector have made a difference?
Stated Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, ‘Either we’re going to be our brother’s keepers or our brother’s pallbearers.’
The Sheriff stated firmly that he believed that active metal detectors would’ve detected the knife the student was carrying.
Superintendent Don Phipps said the school will use metal detectors every day from this day forward and that conversations on school safety are ongoing and will continue.
“It’s not just about a metal detector. It’s about all the other pieces that are involved in that, including the mental health well-being of our faculty and staff and the things you’ve heard today that extend out into the community that we need to work on,” Phipps said.
Phipps said, “My thoughts and prayers continue for all those involved. I want to be part of the solution.”
