Charges: Teenager fatally stabbed Harding High School student during fight
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Students and staff won't be back at Harding High School until Friday after a 16-year-old allegedly stabbed a fellow student to death last week.
"Devin Scott, and it's important that I say his name," said Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard, who shared his grief for the family of the 15-year-old on Tuesday afternoon.
The suspect is charged with murder in the second degree. Prosecutors want the courts to charge the boy as an adult.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office shared details from witnesses into what happened leading up to the stabbing.
The probable cause report reveals that it started with two students arguing, then escalated to throwing punches, and one of them pulling out a knife. Devin was stabbed twice in the chest and stomach. The autopsy report says one of the stabs hit his heart.
RELATED: "Kids shouldn't be losing their lives": Students react to fatal stabbing at Harding High School
The SPPS district took immediate action by adding two St. Paul Police Officers to Harding High School through the end of the week, along with added police resources at Central, Como, Humboldt high schools and Washington Technology Magnet School.
"It's my expectation and my desire to sit down with all of our partners – Office of Neighborhood Safety, St. Paul Police Department – and see if we can redefine what a formal partnership looks like," Dr. Gothard said.
Dr. Gothard ended the district's contract with St. Paul Police back in 2020, but as they prepare to bring officers back into schools temporarily. Chief Axel Henry says their role will look different than it did before.
"The current model is obviously something we need to improve, so we're going to build that future model," said Chief Henry, "But we're at the table, staying part of the conversation and we're committed to help."
Some of that help will come in the form of mental health resources, which will be ready for any student or educator trying to navigate the trauma.
"It will not be a normal week, it will not be a normal semester," said Dr. Gothard.
As a Harding High parent, outreach worker and pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in St. Paul, Rev. Runney D. Patterson Sr. believes no child is unreachable.
"I have a cliché I use all the time. Use your head, and not your hands," said Patterson. "I've done so many of these funeral services, so many have been young African American men. I see the T-shirts at these funerals that says 'Rest in Peace.' I want to see the T-shirts that says, 'Live in Peace.'"
Patterson believes students need to feel loved and heard, but also held accountable for their actions by adults in school and at home.
"These children are all of our most valuable commodity, and so just to lose one child is one too many," Patterson said.
Harding expects to welcome students back on Friday with a modified schedule and an early release. As students wait to head back to class, the district says recreation centers will be open with community partners on hand and food available. Public libraries are also open as a safe place for students.
