Youth charged in stabbing at Bishop McNally High School in northeast Calgary

CALGARY -

Calgary police charged a 15-year-old youth Wednesday evening in connection to a stabbing incident at Bishop McNally High School  that sent a teenage boy to hospital.

The youth, who can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with assault with a weapon.

Earlier Wednesday, emergency crews were called to the high school on Falconridge Boulevard N.E. at around 10:55 a.m.

EMS said the teen, who was 17, was taken to hospital in stable, non-life-threatening condition with a single stab wound. 

The incident prompted the school to enact lockdown procedures at 11 a.m. as police searched for suspects.

THOUGHT IT WAS A DRILL

Terry Uanz is a Grade 10 student at Bishop McNally and said he thought it was a drill when he first heard the sirens alerting students to a threat on campus.

“I was in my classroom and I just heard 'lockdown, lockdown' and we thought it was a drill – but then it was like a long time, so people found out that someone had been stabbed.”

Uanz said it was nerve-racking because their teacher covered up the windows so nobody could see inside their classroom. 

“You have to sit in the corner of the class, have to be quiet and you can’t be on your phone or anything like that,” he says.

PARENTS RUSHED TO SCHOOL

Many parents rushed to the school, desperate to find out if their child was OK. 

“Honestly I just want to know if my daughter is safe or not,” Keisha Marogn told CTV News while the lockdown was ongoing. “I haven’t heard anything. I’ve honestly called about 20 times.”

A statement from the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) said all other students and staff were safe. 

"CPS, EMS and senior administration are currently at the school dealing with the incident," the CCSD said. 

"Calgary Catholic has a critical incident team that will work closely with the school community. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved."

The lockdown was lifted shortly after 12:30 p.m., at which time classes resumed. 

Many students say they were left rattled by the experience, including Grade 11 student Makayla Gayle. 

"This is supposed to be a safe place, you know? Come to school get your education, leave, come back," Gayle said. "So, when I heard about it, I was shaky. To be honest, it was really scary.”