1 student dead, another wounded in double stabbing at Abbotsford high school

A stabbing at a B.C. high school has left one student dead and another injured.

Police in Abbotsford, B.C., were called to Abbotsford Senior Secondary School around 2 p.m. PT on Tuesday with reports of an assault in progress.

Police said they took the suspect into custody almost immediately upon arrival at the school. The two victims — both female, both students at the school — were taken to hospital.

The surviving student is in hospital in stable condition, said Chief Bob Rich of the Abbotsford Police Department.

Jordan Hlady, a Grade 11 student at the school, was in class when she heard screaming outside her classroom.

"It was just a girl screaming for help, and then a whole bunch of screams for ambulances," Hlady said.

"I really can't forget about hearing those screams in the hallways. It's really disturbing."

Rich expressed his department's condolences for the victims' families at a press conference Tuesday evening.

"We are heartbroken for the family that has lost their daughter. Words can't express. I'm just so sorry."

Identity, motive of attacker unclear

Both Abbotsford Senior Secondary and Abbotsford Junior Secondary were under lockdown for hours afterward while police searched for evidence and to ensure there was no further danger to students.

Rich was not able to confirm the identity of the victims or the suspect. He said the suspect, a young man, does not appear to have been a student at the school and may not have had any connection to the victims.

"Who he is [and] what was driving him is very much a matter for investigators at this time," Rich said.

Rich also praised the actions of school staff, who had subdued the attacker by the time police arrived on scene.

"Staff were so proactive and so quick that further casualties probably were prevented because of their actions," he said.

Incident captured on video

The incident was captured on video by at least one student. Rich asked that the video not be shared or broadcast out of respect for the students' families.

"The video that was being passed around from student to student was horrible," Hlady said. "I don't think you can ever unsee that, walking through the hallways now."

Becky Edwards, parent of a 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Abbotsford, learned of the lockdown in a text from her daughter.

"Any time something like this happens, you just think of the worst-case scenario, that it could have been your own kid," Edwards said.

"You just want to give your kid a hug after hearing stuff like this."

Rich said the school will be closed on Wednesday and that counselling will be available for students.

Abbotsford is located in the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver.