Multiple People Stabbed at Foss High School in Tacoma, WA, Suspect Taken Into Custody
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On the morning of June 12, 2024, local law enforcement and emergency responders rushed to Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington following reports of a mass stabbing incident that left multiple people injured, according to official statements from the Tacoma Police Department. First dispatched at 9:17 a.m. local time, officers arrived at the campus within three minutes and located a 16-year-old male student suspected of carrying out the attack, who was immediately taken into custody without further incident. Officers recovered a 6-inch kitchen knife believed to be the weapon used in the assault at the scene.
As of press time, three victims, all current students at Foss High School aged between 15 and 17, have been transported to nearby St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Two of the victims are listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening lacerations, while the third remains in critical condition after suffering multiple stab wounds to the torso. No staff members were reported injured in the attack.
The entire campus was placed under full lockdown immediately after staff reported the attack, with all students and staff instructed to shelter in place until law enforcement secured the area. Roughly two hours after the incident was first reported, Tacoma Public Schools announced that the lockdown had been lifted, and students were being systematically evacuated to the nearby Tacoma Dome, where parents and guardians could pick up their children with valid identification. The district confirmed that Foss High School will be closed for the remainder of the week, with all after-school activities and sports events canceled through the weekend to give the community time to process the tragedy.
In a press conference held Wednesday afternoon, Tacoma Police Chief Wendy Davis noted that investigators are still working to determine a motive for the attack, and are interviewing witnesses and reviewing campus surveillance footage to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the stabbing. The district has also announced that free mental health counseling services will be available for all students, staff and family members affected by the incident for the next 30 days, with additional school counselors and social workers deployed to the campus when classes resume next Monday. Local officials have also urged community members to avoid sharing unconfirmed information about the victims or suspect on social media to protect the privacy of those involved.
Featured Comments
As a parent of a 10th grader at Foss High, I sat by my phone for two hours straight after getting the lockdown alert, completely terrified. I can’t believe we’ve reached the point where sending our kids to school means worrying they might get stabbed. The district needs to do way more to secure campus entrances and screen for weapons before something even worse happens.
I taught social studies at Foss for 18 years before retiring last year, and my heart breaks for everyone involved. This isn’t just a security issue—it’s a mental health issue. We’ve been asking the district for years to fund more counselors and intervention programs for students showing signs of distress, but those requests always get pushed aside for budget priorities that don’t keep kids safe. This should be a wake-up call.
I’m a junior at Foss and was in the hallway near where the attack happened. I still can’t stop shaking thinking about it. I hope the kids who got hurt are okay, and I hope the school actually listens to us now when we say we don’t feel safe. We shouldn’t have to be scared to go to class.
As a member of the Tacoma City Council, I’m already drafting legislation to allocate emergency funding for weapon detection systems at every public high school in the district, as well as additional funding for campus safety officers and mental health support staff. No family should have to go through the fear so many of our families experienced today.