WALTON COUNTY — A Walton County grand jury has indicted a 12-year-old boy on charges of attempted first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of aggravated battery while wearing a mask, possession of a weapon on school property while wearing a mask, and tampering with evidence.
The defendant, a student at Walton Middle School, was detained on March 24 after two students and a staff member were stabbed on campus before classes were in session. All three victims were taken to hospitals, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
The defendant “armed himself with a knife before leaving home that morning and brought a mask for his planned attack,” according to an April 9 news release from the state attorney’s office announcing the indictment. “After arriving at school, (the defendant) went to a bathroom, put on his mask and came out to the hallway armed with a knife. He stabbed two fellow students and a teacher at random, causing serious injuries. His attacks were captured on the school’s surveillance system.”
In a Facebook post announcing the indictment, the sheriff’s office said the child will prosecuted as an adult.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: The latest on the Walton Middle School stabbings: Indictment returned
Reporting by DeonTay Smith, Panama City News Herald / Northwest Florida Daily News
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