How did Raleigh school fatality happen? What do we know about suspect, those stabbed?
The community is still in shock Tuesday after one student was fatally stabbed and another teen was injured Monday morning at Southeast Raleigh High School.
The Raleigh Police investigation and the Wake County school system’s response is still ongoing. But here’s what we know.
How did the stabbing happen?
The Raleigh police officer assigned as the school resource officer at Southeast Raleigh High responded at 11:01 a.m. Monday to a report that a juvenile was stabbed during an altercation involving other students. Video clips posted on social media by multiple students appear to show a fight spilling over from a hallway into the gymnasium, where a knife is visible.
A 15-year-old student and a 16-year-old student received first aid at the scene and were taken to a local hospital. The 15-year-old died, while the 16-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
What do we know about those stabbed?
The 15-year-old who was killed is Delvin Ferrell.
Ferrell’s family held a balloon release on Wednesday in honor of the slain teenager. They’re now asking school leaders for questions about how the stabbing happened and whether it could have been prevented.
The name of the 16-year-old victim has not been publicly released.
Has anyone been charged?
Raleigh Police obtained a secure custody order for a 14-year-old juvenile suspect. He was charged with murder on a juvenile petition.
Cherelle McLaughlin, the mother of the suspect, says the dispute began when her older daughter had an earlier altercation with a female Southeast Raleigh High student.
McLaughlin says more than a dozen juveniles, including many shown in videos of Monday’s fatal fight, came to her house in Southeast Raleigh roughly a week ago and assaulted both McLaughlin and her mother.
When she brought her son to school Monday, McLaughlin said she told his case worker that he would likely get jumped for defending his sister.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman is weighing whether to try the 14-year-old on murder charges in adult court or keep the case in juvenile court.
It’s unclear if any other students will face criminal charges. But the school has announced that all students involved in Monday’s event have been disciplined in accordance with Wake County school policies.
Are police asking for tips and information?
Raleigh Police asked anyone with information or evidence related to this crime to call 919-996-1193.
How did the student bring a knife?
It’s unclear how the knife got into the school.
Southeast Raleigh High School does not use metal detectors or weapons detectors. It’s not a security approach that’s been adopted by the Wake County school system.
Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor and school board chair Lindsay Mahaffey issued a joint statement on Monday that the district will continue to review all its safety processes and protocols to determine what happened and what changes may need to be made.
The school board’s safety and security committee met Tuesday to receive “confidential security updates” about the stabbing. The meeting had been scheduled before the stabbing.
When will Southeast Raleigh High reopen?
The school reopened on Thursday. It had been closed Tuesday and Wednesday to let students and staff process what happened and to prepare for the return of classes.
The school says it will be prepared to provide additional assistance Thursday and in the weeks ahead for students who are still struggling with the tragic events.
The district is also placing an additional administrator at the school to help supervise students.
A community forum at the school on Dec. 4 drew nearly 500 people.
What do we know about Southeast Raleigh High?
Southeast Raleigh High opened in 1997 on Rock Quarry Road.
The school has 1,400 students, drawing both from the surrounding neighborhoods and magnet students from across Wake County.
Southeast Raleigh is a magnet school offering the University Connections: School of Design, Arts & Engineering magnet theme. The theme was revamped in 2017 to try to get more people interested in attending the school.
Eddie Harden brought stability to the school when he became principal in 2020. He became the sixth principal at the school since 2011.
How safe is Southeast Raleigh High?
According to 2021-22 school year data, there were 38 reported crimes at Southeast Raleigh High. There were 23 cases of possession of controlled substances, 13 cases of possession of a weapon and two sexual assaults.
Possession of weapons don’t involve guns, which are in a separate category, but typically involve knives. In the 2021-22 school year, Southeast Raleigh was tied with Wakefield High for third-most cases of possession of a weapon among Wake schools. Only Leesville Road and Rolesville high schools had more.
In the pre-pandemic 2018-19 school year, Southeast Raleigh High had 27 reported crimes. There were 13 cases of possession of controlled substances, eight cases of possession of a weapon, four cases of assaults on school personnel and two cases of possession of alcohol.
Reported crime is up 16.9% above pre-pandemic levels in North Carolina public schools.
Wake school leaders say the stabbing shouldn’t overshadow all the good things happening at the school.
This story was originally published November 28, 2023 at 11:29 AM.
