Students at a Montreal high school are still in shock a day after their classmate was sent to hospital in critical condition.
The boy, 16, was attacked by a group outside Calixa-Lavallée High School in Montreal North on Monday afternoon, leaving some students feeling unsafe.
“It’s very, very sad,” said one student, who spoke on condition of anonymity and said he was afraid to go home the day of the attack. “I was like, what do you gain from (an attack like that)?”
The suspects, whose ages are unknown, have not been arrested and fled on foot before officers arrived. The young man is in a stable condition in hospital.
Police say the victim was stabbed with a blunt object, and sources to CTV News believe it was a hammer.
On Tuesday, police stepped up patrols in the neighborhood and met with students.
“Montreal police are taking a lot of action, but they are also working with school board leadership to reassure the students, but also the residents of the area,” said Montreal police spokeswoman Véronique Dubuque.
Along with the investigators, there are support workers on site to help students process the event.
‘STOP SEEING THEM AS ADULTS’: PSYCHIATRIST
Support is needed not just for victims, but for all children involved in abuse, said psychiatrist Myrna Lashley.
“Their prefrontal cortex is far from fully developed. They’re still trying to figure out who they are,” she said, adding that it’s important to “stop seeing them as young adults and start seeing them as older kids.”
Lashley said a culture of fear among young people could lead to more violence.
“They need to learn better conflict resolution skills or we are in danger of losing a large part of this generation,” she said.
The Pointe-De-L’ile Service Center said it is cooperating with police by increasing surveillance.
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