15-year-old charged with murder in stabbing of McDonough student

A McDonough Middle School student was fatally stabbed over the weekend.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

A McDonough Middle School student was fatally stabbed over the weekend.

A 15-year-old has been charged with murder after a McDonough Middle School student was stabbed during a fight Saturday night, authorities said.

The incident happened around 9:15 p.m. on Towne Park Drive near the school, where two groups of teenagers got into a fight over a cellphone, McDonough police spokesman Maj. Kyle Helgerson said. One of the teens pulled out a pocket knife and fatally stabbed a 13-year-old, he said. The 15-year-old is in custody, Helgerson said.

Charges are pending for another suspect, a 17-year-old, and a 14-year-old involved in the incident has been charged with affray and was released to the parents, Helgerson said. The names of those involved were not released.

Police vehicles were parked in front of the school’s entrance Monday, Channel 2 Action News reported.

“It’s more so traumatizing to know about a kid getting stabbed,” former student Vincent Gusby Jr. told the news station. “I did hear some screaming, but it was crazy because I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Henry County School District spokesman John Hardin confirmed counselors are available to speak with students and staff and offered condolences to the “student’s family and school community during this difficult time.”

Last week in DeKalb County, a 15-year-old Clarkston High School student was charged with aggravated assault in the stabbing of an 18-year-old student, school district officials said. Near dismissal time, the two students got into a fight on campus and the victim was stabbed in the chest, the district said. He was rushed to the hospital and was stable.