Stabbing at New York City high school leaves one dead, one critically injured

One student is dead and another in critical condition after an 18-year-old student at a New York City high school stabbed two classmates.

Chalkbeat New York reports that the victims were stabbed Wednesday morning during a quarrel at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, a school for grades six to 12 in the Bronx.

The victims, ages 15 and 16, were stabbed in their chests. They were rushed to a nearby hospital. The younger boy died on arrival, and the other boy is in critical condition. The attacker is in police custody.

It was the first time one student killed another inside a New York City school in 25 years, according to City Hall spokesman Eric Phillips.

"It has been many, many years in this city since we've lost a child in a school in this kind of violent incident, and it is all the more troubling for that reason," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "It's unacceptable to ever lose a child to violence in a school building, and we will redouble our efforts to protect every child. We will use every measure to make sure every child is safe."

The school shares a building with P.S. 67, which includes preschool to fifth grade.

The students had been quarreling for the past few weeks, police officials said at a briefing. The dispute escalated Wednesday, culminating with the attack about 30 minutes into a history class.

The attacker used a switchblade knife with a 3-inch blade that he brought into the school building, which does not have metal detectors. He walked into the hallway after the attack and encountered a guidance counselor, who asked him to hand over the knife. Then he waited in an assistant principal’s office until police arrived, officials said.

WABC-TV identified the deceased student as Matthew McCree, 15.

New York City Schools Chancellor issued a statement on Twitter.