The 16-year-old student who stabbed a teacher Thursday at John F. Kennedy School was charged with attempted murder on Friday. He will remain in detention over the weekend and is due to return to court next Monday.
Dressed in a white sweater and glasses, the accused briefly appeared in the Youth Chamber on Friday morning. Her mother was present, but declined to speak to the media.
Four counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offense and possession of a concealed weapon were laid against the youth.
Me Mélanie Rose, the criminal and penal prosecuting attorney, filed a notice with the judge stating that she could seek an adult sentence if the accused is found guilty at the end of the process.
The lawyer also objected to the release of the teenager, who will therefore remain detained at least until the rest of the proceedings, which is scheduled for next Monday.
In the meantime, the accused will not be able to communicate with all the students and staff of John F. Kennedy School under any circumstances.
Recall that the assaulted professor suffered “minor injuries” to the upper body. The visual arts teacher was quickly transported to a hospital, but his life is not in danger.
The case had forced a large police deployment Thursday morning, in the Saint-Michel district, around this school on rue Villeray. Students were confined for the duration of the operation. “In shock”, many witnessed the assault that took place in the middle of the classroom.
According to the spokesperson for the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), Michael Cohen, the student had “disciplinary” problems, but there was no reason to believe that he could be violent. “It was completely unexpected,” he summed up.
Social intervention teams were called to the school premises on Thursday in order to “speak with the students”, some of whom witnessed the assault and are “in shock”, also underlined Mr. Cohen.