Student stabbed at Winter Hill School

By George P. Hassett

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed walking home from class at the Winter Hill Community School on Tuesday, the knife missing his lung by inches, according to the boy's father.

Two weeks before the incident the boy found a threatening note on his desk at school that said, "I'll kill you" and was signed "MS-13," the father said. School officials and a police officer assigned to the building were alerted to the threat but, according to the father, did little to prevent it.

"I told them he was afraid to come to school. [Police and the school principal] said he was safe, well he wasn't safe on Tuesday," he said.

The suspect, wearing a ski mask that covered the bottom half of his face, stabbed the boy at the corner of Sycamore and Medford streets as students were leaving school for the day, he said. The boy ran back into the school and got help, he said. He was treated and released from the hospital the same day.

The father, who asked that his name not be used, said his son has recovered physically but still fears retaliation. He said police arrested one boy in connection with the stabbing, interrupting a class on Friday at the school to bring him out in handcuffs. It is unclear if the stabbing is related to the threatening note.

A group of students at the school claiming an affiliation with the violent Central American gang MS-13 had been harassing his son for months, the father said. Now, the boy won't be going back. The father said he is removing him from the neighborhood school the boy attended since Kindergarten and he attended himself as a kid.

"It's pretty sad. It had been a great neighborhood school all these years and now it's not even safe for me to send my kids to," he said.

Police and school officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment. More details to follow.

Comments

[oh boy]

What in the world is happening in Somerville? Now we have eigth graders stabbing people after school. What a disgrace! I hope the courts do the right thing and teach this kid a lesson. He shouldn't be allowed in Somerville schools anymore.

[What a disgrace and breakdown in public trust this is!]

Who is responsible for the cover up regarding this story! Why wasn't the public made aware of this situation when it happened? Why weren't other parents warned about this? We need answers and we need them right now! Did the mayor know about this? Did the police chief know about this? Did our ward Alderman know about this? What a disgrace and breakdown in public trust this is!

[ED]

WOW! Can you believe you cant even send your child to elementary school anymore. If I were this father of that child I would sue tha balls off the police department for not taking a more active roll in protecting this boy, and the school department for not making the schools safer by weeding out these ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSING BASTARDS!! As for our illustrious Mayor you suck too!

[ED]

The MS-13 GANG BANGERS that are slowly taking over our community have to be stopped. There has to be a way to exterminate them like the cockroaches they are. My poor grandmother won't even leave the house for groceries in fear of them robbing her and shoving her to the ground for her pocketbook like they did to her friend last year. She has to call for a ride to go to the corner store. Why have police departments lets just arm up like the old western days, and shoot on sight. We have a US Congressman (Capuano) from our city that could give 2 shits what goes on here. If he were so concerned he would send the feds here to help in the extermination. HEY MIKE!! TIP ONIEL SAID ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL. “ We will remember in November”!

[??!]

This story makes it sound like the threat against this boys' life was ignored by both the school and the police. I'd like to know if this is true, because if so, it's a disgrace. And as the person above said, the father could probably file a lawsuit against the city. Does anyone know more about the steps taken to 1)find and punish the person who wrote the note and 2) ensure that this student would be safe in school as well as enroute.

[Kate]

Why wasn't a plainclothes officer assigned to follow this boy from, and to his, home??? I don't want to hear any BS about staffing problems or $$$$. City officials find money for the things that are important to them, well what is more important than protecting a young boy's life??????? It doesn't take a genius to know that it was more likely that this boy was going to be attacked outside of school.

[somebody]

ED: The problem is that the MS-13 gang has been around long enough to extend to another generation. Many of the young kids in this gang are US citizens of central american decent.

[ED]

Well if thats true and they (THE MS-13 GANG) have been around that long then that tells me that the law enforcement have been sitting on their ass's much too long now, and it's comming around to bite us in the ass. Maybe when a law officer's or maybe the Mayor's OR our Congressman's child gets whacked somthing will get done. GIVE US A BREAK!!!

[Kate]

"Two weeks before the incident the boy found a threatening note on his desk at school that said, "I'll kill you" and was signed "MS-13," the father said. School officials and a police officer assigned to the building were alerted to the threat but, according to the father, did little to prevent it."

Was the officer actually on-site, at the school, each day since the young man received the note? That is what I infer from that information.

However, the following information from the article about the PTA president's comments, implies that there was no officer on-site.

"The victim then turn(sic) and ran back to the school where he approached the principal and the police were called, police said."

Along with the Journal's information: "On Feb. 26 at 2:34 p.m., Officer Sean Sylvester responded to the Winter Hill Community School after a call regarding a student who had been stabbed and met with the victim, principal and vice-principal."

Can anyone provide the accurate details?

[frances]

when i heard the news about this how can something like this happen to a good kid and and i thought we lived in a quiet city.

[John]

well even if alot of them are born here we should be doing more to get alot of the ones out that are illegals because they are the leaders cut the head off the snake 1 more thing these gangs should be prosecuted like they did the mob if you are a member seize thier house and cars bank accounts hit em where it hurts