(Saskatoon) A 14-year-old girl has been charged with attempted murder after setting another student on fire at a Saskatoon high school, police said Friday.
She was also charged with aggravated assault and arson, police said in a news release.
The victim, a 15-year-old girl, is in serious condition with burns. A teacher and other staff members who tried to put out the fire were also injured.
A school resource officer, who was at Evan Hardy Collegiate on an unrelated matter, apprehended the suspect Thursday.
“Our officer who was on scene was on the scene in less than 30 seconds and had someone in custody in less than 60 seconds,” said Sgt. Ken Kane. “I think the situation could have been a lot worse if we didn’t have an officer on scene.”
He did not specify how the victim was set on fire. Officers are continuing to investigate with the assistance of facility officials.
We are grateful to the staff at Evan Hardy for their immediate response and recognize that this is a traumatic incident for the entire school community. We are providing support to students and staff.
Statement from a spokesperson for the school board, in a press release sent by email
Samantha Becotte, president of the union representing Saskatchewan teachers, said members are shaken.
“We are focused on supporting existing staff and ensuring they have everything they need to welcome students back. This is a very traumatic incident for the entire community,” she said.
“We want to make sure that when students return, they are comfortable and safe, and we look forward to having further discussions in the future about what needs to be done to prevent incidents like this from happening again,” she added.
Mme Becotte has long been calling for the provincial government to provide additional support to combat the rise in violence and to better help students with special needs.
Teachers have gone on strike and stopped volunteer work to pressure the province to take concrete action.