PICTURED: Delvin Ferrell, 15, stabbed to death at Raleigh, NC, school ‘by student aged fourteen’ as victims family say they FORGIVE loved one’s murderer
The boy who was stabbed to death during a fight at a North Carolina school has been identified by his “forgiving family” and said they “hold no ill will” against the accused killer of their loved one.
Delvin Ferrell, 15, died from his injuries after a 14-year-old student stabbed him during a fight.
“We are a grieving family trying to process this,” Ferrell’s family said in a statement. “It’s a tragedy all around. We are a forgiving family and harbor no ill will.”
Southeast Raleigh High School was closed Tuesday after a massive fight broke out around 11 a.m. Monday. Video showed the suspect grabbing a knife and stabbing his classmates during the brawl.
Another student was also stabbed and taken to hospital and treated for ‘non-life-threatening’ injuries.
Delvin Ferrell, 15, died from his injuries after a 14-year-old student stabbed him during a fight
Students at a North Carolina high school are seen in a mass brawl in the gym on Monday, while a man in a gray hoodie is seen holding a knife. The teenage suspect is accused of stabbing Ferrell to death
Raleigh police have taken into custody the unnamed suspect, who is facing a juvenile court case. Prosecutor Lorrin Freeman said WRAL that a juvenile custody hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.
Hours after the stabbing, Ferrell’s family and friends gathered for a vigil in his honor. They said that Delvin loved video games and sports.
One family member posted online saying, “Lord, you gave me this precious SON of mine for a season and with it the great responsibility and joy of seeing him through his childhood into his teenage years… and now I find that I am Hom (sic) to be entrusted into your loving arms again…
“Lord, I thank you for the joy he gave me during these short special years of his life and for the pride. I had as I watched him spread his wings as he began to find his way in life. Growing in Faveur (sic) with you and with so many others too
‘..Lord, I ask You to hold me, his mother and my family close in Your loving embrace, as this is so painful to say goodbye to my dearly beloved son…’
“I know his life has been entrusted to me for only a season. That our times are in your hands. You planned every day of our lives. but I did not expect that he would be called home… Pour out your loving comfort and strength to me, Lord, and to all of us who are acutely losing. may we grow closer to each other and to you as we prepare to say goodbye to my beloved Son,” the family member said.
Others took the time to post heartfelt messages on the teen’s online obituary, as one person said: ‘A young man I knew from birth, over the years, we lost touch, but I still never knew you forgotten…I am so sorry to hear of his passing…I extend my condolences to his mother and the rest of the family.”
The fight took place outside the school gym before a large group of students forced their way inside. Authorities said several students were involved but did not provide an exact number.
During the melee, a school employee called for paramedics and backup after reporting that a student had been stabbed.
Shortly afterwards, the second student was found with stab wounds.
‘He is currently losing consciousness. We’re in the main gym,” you heard a female voice say over the police radio traffic.
A male voice said, “Can you get the administrators to lock down the school?”
The secondary school was under a Code Red lockdown and informed parents that a ‘controlled’ dismissal would take place as planned
The fight started outside, but students were soon seen rushing into the gym where Ferrell was stabbed
However, the department added: ‘The scene is safe and this appears to be an isolated incident. Please avoid the area around the school.’
In a follow-up message, parents were informed that the school would remain under a Code Red lockdown due to the ongoing investigation, but that a ‘controlled’ dismissal would take place at the usual time.
School officials and police officers have not said what sparked the altercation or who started it.
The suspect responsible for the stabbing has since been arrested and Freeman said she “expects in the near future” the case will be transferred to the Supreme Court to try the 14-year-old as an adult.
The male suspect’s mother, Cherelle McLaughlin, told WRAL that her son, who is seen in the video cutting the knife, acted in self-defense.
McLaughlin also said she told the school she was concerned about her child’s safety, but it’s not clear why.
Freeman explained that North Carolina state law states that once a probable cause hearing has been held, juveniles charged with first-degree murder are then sent to Superior Court.
The 14-year-old suspect is being held and District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said she plans to try him as an adult.
“We are at the beginning of this process,” Freeman said.
The prosecutor went on to say that the recent increase in the number of juveniles charged as adults is “concerning” to her and that she will do everything in her power to move the case forward efficiently.
‘I feel horrible. The whole situation is terrible. I feel sorry for the other family, but in return I feel sorry for my son because he was fighting for his life,” McLaughlin said.
Other parents commented on the fatal altercation, with one saying her daughter would not return to high school.
“Based on the video alone, it seemed like it took a long time for the administrator, the teacher and the adult to get there,” another parent said.
The school has announced that counselors and staff will be available to students this week, but it is unclear when the school will reopen.