On Nov. 14, just after 9:30 am this morning, members of the Yonkers Police Department responded to Gorton High School, located at 100 Shonnard Place in this City, on a report of a stabbing that had taken place.
Arriving units located one 17-year-old male victim with several non-life-threatening stab wounds to his body. Aid was rendered on scene by the school nurse, Yonkers Police Officers, and responding paramedics. The victim was transported to an area hospital in stable condition as notifications were made to his family.
Other units located the lone suspect responsible for this crime, who was being detained by school safety officers. He is being identified as a 14-year-old male student of Gorton High School. This suspect was placed into custody, and the knife used was recovered. He was transported to an area hospital to be evaluated before being processed at the Yonkers Police Department Youth Division.
Out of an abundance of caution, the school was placed on lockdown immediately after the incident was reported to authorities and remained on lockdown until both the victim and the suspect were removed from the school. During that time, a preliminary investigation was conducted at the scene of the crime. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 10:30 am, and students returned to their normally scheduled instruction.
Investigation yielded that the suspect, who brought a knife onto the school campus, was involved in a dispute with the victim. This dispute became physical, at which point the suspect stabbed the victim several times with the knife before the altercation was broken up by school staff.
The suspect in this incident was charged with Attempted Assault 1st Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, Attempted Assault 2nd Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree. Due to the ages of those involved, no further information regarding their identities will be released, in accordance with laws prohibiting the release of that information.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano stated, “Today’s incident at Gorton High School is alarming and is not indicative of our District. I have asked the Superintendent of Schools to work with Yonkers Police and the school administration to review security measures and convene a crisis intervention team for students at the school. Our goal is to ensure an incident like this does not happen again and provide continued support to our community. I want to reassure our families that our schools are safe and the well-being of our children remains our utmost priority.”
“Safety in our schools is always a top priority for us,” said Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza. “We will continue to work with our partners in Yonkers Public Schools and their school safety team to assist however we can to ensure that our students and teachers can learn and work in the safest environment possible.”
Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools Anibal Soler, Jr, stated, “Today’s incident at Gorton High School is deeply concerning, but I want to reassure our families that this was an isolated event, and our students are safe. We are working closely with the Yonkers Police Department and will be reviewing security measures with school administration to ensure our schools remain secure learning environments. Our crisis intervention team is available to support students and staff as we move forward together. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities, and we remain committed to providing a safe, supportive environment for all.”
