PITTSBURGH, April 10 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh-area school where a 16-year-old student allegedly slashed 21 youngsters and an adult remained closed Thursday as a crime scene.
Some Franklin Regional High School students showed up to drop off homework assignments, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. They were told to come back Monday, when the school plans to reopen.
Alex Hribal was arrested Wednesday after the alleged assault and quickly charged as an adult and arraigned. His lawyer described him as a student with a B-plus average from a solid family that eats together every night.
"He's scared," Patrick Thomassey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's a young kid. He's 16, looking like he's 12. This is all still new to him."
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Hribal allegedly cut his way through a crowded hallway at the school Wednesday morning, using two 8-inch knives to wound 21 students and a security guard. He was arrested by William “Buzz” Yakshe, a Murrysville police officer and experienced school resource officer.
“These are my kids and we just gotta get back to normal,” Yakshe told the Tribune-Review.
Thomassey said Hribal's parents "expressed absolute horror" when he talked to them before the arraignment.
Other students seemed mystified by the attack. Many said they did not know Hribal and others told the Post-Gazette he appeared "shy."
"I know him pretty well," a boy who described himself as a friend said. "I've never seen any anger from him, ever. ... He never seemed like someone who would do anything violent. He never seems very upset or any of that."
[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]
