DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. — The Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) said a 12-year-old student was charged with attempted murder after a stabbing incident that left two students hospitalized and one adult injured at a Florida middle school.
On March 24, before classes started, deputies said law enforcement officials responded to reports of a stabbing at Walton Middle School in Defuniak Springs.
According to the report, a school resource deputy was already on-site and responding, notifying school staff.
Deputies said the suspect, a 12-year-old Walton Middle School student, was detained a block from the school and a knife was found in a retention pond nearby.
Two students and one adult, a paraprofessional, were transported to the hospital for their injuries. The paraprofessional was treated and released, while the students are currently still hospitalized, per WCSO.
Deputies said after further investigation and reviewing surveillance footage, the suspect has been formally charged with attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, wearing a mask during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence, and disrupting a school function.
The suspect is currently being held without bond in a juvenile detention facility, according to WCSO.
This remains an active investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
3 Hillsborough sheriff’s employees arrested in domestic violence cases
Two deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are on administrative leave without pay, and a cadet has been fired following arrests in separate domestic violence cases over the past three days.
