A New York City high school student who was stabbed to death in his classroom, and a second teen who was critically injured, bullied their attacker moments before the deadly altercation, police said Thursday. However, the students did not continuously harass him as previously believed, WPIX reported.
Abel Cedeno, 18, lashed out with a pocketknife during a third-period history class at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx on Wednesday, according to police.
Matthew McCree, 15, was fatally stabbed, and a 16-year-old was critically injured in the attack, police said.
The victims were throwing pencils and papers at Cedeno, allegedly trying to start an altercation, police said. Cedeno then stabbed both students in the chest with a 3-inch switchblade, according to New York Police Department Chief Robert Boyce.
The incident initially was believed to be the culmination of a two-week argument between Cedeno and the victims, Boyce said Wednesday. However, Boyce said Thursday that it was the first known incident between the students..
“He had problems before, at the start of school, but not with these two individuals,” Boyce told WPIX.
Cedeno has not specified to investigators what he was bullied about, Boyce said, and is also not believed to have mentioned any bullying..
Cedeno has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, manslaughter, two counts of attempted manslaughter, two counts of assault, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, Boyce said.
After the attack, which happened in front of 15 to 20 other students, officials said Cedeno handed the knife to a school counselor and willingly went to a school office, where he waited for police, WPIX reported.
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