A 16-year-old was charged with stabbing three classmates at Pittsburgh’s Carrick High School on Wednesday morning.

A student used a “small knife” to injure three students aged 15 to 18 years old during the attack at school, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Schools said. Of the three students injured, one was treated and released at the scene, one was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital in stable condition, and a third was taken to UPMC Mercy with a more serious injury, officials said.

Police announced on Wednesday night that 16-year-old Anthony Taulton was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possessing instruments of crime and possession of a weapon on school property. He was denied bail.

Authorities said Taulton also sustained a laceration to his hand. He was treated at the scene by medics before being turned over to the police. Pittsburgh Public Schools said Taulton is new to the district. 

The school was placed on lockdown and remained in “secure” status for the rest of the day, meaning outside doors remained locked, officials said. 

Following the incident, staff worked with families who arrived at the scene to conduct a controlled release of students to their parents, the Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesperson added.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters said in a statement that he is “deeply concerned” for the injured students. He thanked the first responders “for their immediate and coordinated response.”

Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement that the stabbing is a reminder that the Pittsburgh community “has a role to play in creating spaces” for young people. 

Counselors are available to support students this week, and Carrick High will be remote for the rest of the week.

Parents “scared” after school stabbing

As parents raise questions, Pittsburgh Public Schools Chief of School Safety Dena Young said investigators will review security footage.

“I’m scared. I don’t even want him to come back to school. I want to sign him out of here and go to another school,” said Mark Sheehan, who has a freshman son at Carrick. 

The 16-year-old boy allegedly had some issues with other students. His mother brought it to the attention of the school district on Wednesday morning.

“She told us this morning, but it was simultaneously as when this happened, before the school could try to investigate,” Young said.

According to the criminal complaint, the 16-year-old student brought a kitchen knife from home, concealing it in his bookbag during a search and a pass through a metal detector. He entered through the school’s cafeteria entrance because he was late on Wednesday morning. 

For parents, they want to know how a student with a knife got the security measures: metal detectors, bag checks, four security guards and two roving school police officers. 

“I was shook when I saw it. I was surprised that somebody would even do that,” Carrick freshman Mark Sheehan said.

The criminal complaint said the stabbing happened in a hallway after an ongoing dispute turned violent. Police are investigating, and PPS is reviewing its security protocols.

Court documents detail what led up to stabbing

Police said Taulton did not tell any school leaders about the threats he had received before the stabbing. 

His mom told security about the concerns of a fight 30 minutes before the alleged stabbing happened on Wednesday. The National Association of School Resource Officers said that’s why students need trusted adults in schools to talk with.

“You may hear of a problem that’s occurring between students, and you have an adult that can step in and resolve it before it becomes a problem like that,” Mac Hardy, the organization’s director of operations, said. 

According to the court paperwork, the stabbing started with one of the victims getting into a fight with Taulton, which is when Taulton stabbed him. 

Another victim jumped in to defend the other, and the third victim said he got involved because the fight moved toward him. Taulton told police he’d been getting threatening messages on Instagram over the past few weeks. He said one of the boys was allegedly making threats and got into an argument that escalated.