Police: 6-year-old brings knife to Virginia school, stabs student in face during recess

PETERSBURG, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - An elementary school student in Petersburg is now under investigation after police said he brought a knife to school and stabbed a classmate.

It happened at Walnut Hill Elementary on Tuesday, leaving a 6-year-old student visibly injured. The school district notified parents on Wednesday after WWBT started asking questions.

The student used a pocketknife, injuring another 6-year-old boy from his earlobe down to his face.

“They’re learning too early,” parent Corey Rook said.

It happened outside while students were at recess. When police tried to recover that weapon, the child told them he’d thrown it away.

“They were trying to contact me a few minutes ago,” said parent Tuanita Bonner, whose child attends the same school.

Wednesday, she received a robocall from the school.

“We are aware of the physical altercation that took place between two students yesterday at Walnut Hill, and we are working with the Petersburg Police Department as they investigate this matter. The investigation is still open. We encourage our families to speak with their children about safety and being safe,” a spokesperson for the school district said in a statement.

“Make sure you’re doing the best you can to maybe check some articles that you know your child is bringing on to school grounds, such as backpacks, lunch pails, anything like that, sports packs or whatnot,” said Capt. Dustin Sloan with Petersburg Police.

Police said that after consulting with the Commonwealth’s Attorney, the child who brought the knife is not expected to face criminal charges.

“We have these programs in place where we can bring a child in and we can explain to them - these are things that may happen if you continue on this kind of path. That way, later on in life, when they apply for jobs and prepare for college and stuff like this, they don’t have these little minor hiccups along the way that can set them back,” Sloan added.

The student who was hurt is expected to be OK. Police said this was an isolated incident between those two students. No one else was hurt.

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