A 14-year-old high school student brought knives to school and attacked and injured another student before he was shot by a school district police officer earlier this month, police in Reno, Nevada, said Wednesday.
The student, who has been identified by family members as Logan Clark, gave a classmate a "minor cut" to the face during a fight at Proctor R. Hug High School on Dec. 7 before a Washoe County School District police officer intervened.
"The injured student attempted to retreat, but the 14-year-old pursued him through a crowd of students and faculty while swinging the knives," police said.
School district police reported shots fired at Hug High School just before 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 7. When authorities arrived, they said they found a teenager waving knives and threatening other students.
A Washoe County School District police officer ordered the teen drop the knives and fired a single shot at him when he refused. The shooting put the school under lockdown for hours, but no other injuries were reported.
David Houston, an attorney representing Logan's family, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the teen has been in critical condition since the shooting after suffering a stroke a short while into his hospital stay.
Logan's family has questioned the decision to shoot Logan and claimed that it was an example of excessive force.
"I would like some public support in the battle with the city that's sure to come from this," Logan's father, Justin Clark, wrote in a Facebook post quoted by the Gazette-Journal. "My son was a superior athlete and has lost part of his lung. ... Now he won't have the ability that he had before, so he won't have the chance to go to college or any other way to use this gift. (Because) it's gone."
In an interview that aired last week on "Today," Clark said his son was being bullied by some older classmates
"(Logan) went into a combat situation knowingly, with a 14-year-old mind … with very little options," Clark said. "(The older students) keep running at him and antagonizing him and making a scene. He just doesn't want to be attacked anymore. And that's what happened."
He told "Today" that the knives Logan was armed with were "dull butter knives from Logan's grandmother's kitchen."
The ACLU of Nevada has also questioned the necessity of the shooting.
In a statement released last week, the civil rights organization described Logan as "a child who appeared to be in an emotional crisis."
The investigation into the shooting continues.
About the Author
