READING, Pa. – A fatal stabbing that took the life of a Reading teen earlier this month has been ruled justifiable self-defense.
On the evening of June 6, Reading Police were dispatched to 10th and Buttonwood streets for a report of a stabbing.
Arriving officers found two stabbing victims at the location. Both were transported to Reading Hospital, where 15-year-old Kayden Beauville was pronounced dead. The second victim was treated and has since been released, authorities say.
The Berks County District Attorney’s Office conducted an extensive investigation, during which numerous individuals connected to the incident were interviewed. Detectives also reviewed security footage from several schools, businesses and other locations as part of their investigation.
Investigators say the perpetrator of the stabbing, whose name has not been released, was interviewed by Reading Police and told them he had been involved in a fight with Beauville and others, who then chased the perpetrator. At some point during the altercation, the perpetrator stabbed the two victims, causing a fatal wound to Beauville and a non-fatal wound to the other.
The DA’s office has determined that the use of deadly force was justified, and that the perpetrator was acting in self-defense against the unlawful use of force against him. Authorities say no criminal charges will be filed against the perpetrator in this incident.
Both the Berks County District Attorney’s Office and the Reading Police Department emphasized they will not tolerate any retaliatory violence related to this incident.