Days after the viral video of a brutal beatdown of a Hazelwood East student shocked the region, another tragedy has occurred near a different school in north St. Louis County.
Fourteen-year-old Justin Brooks has died after being stabbed next to Rose Mary Johnson Jennings Junior High School.
Police say the stabbing occurred on Tuesday, March 12, at 3:05 p.m. on Hord Avenue, and school resources officers quickly provided medical treatment to the young teen. Officers from the Jennings precinct of the St. Louis County Police responded as well, and the victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to the wounds.
A statement put out by the Jennings School District had no additional information about Brooks, other than to say he was a student. St. Louis County Police said in their own statement last night that while no suspects are in custody, they are investigating the incident and “this does not appear to be random in nature.”
Former state Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal wrote on Twitter that because Rose Mary Johnson is so close to Jennings High School, at least 100 students would have been walking home after school during the attack and could have potentially witnessed it.
Jennings City Councilman Terry Wilson said on Twitter, “It’s time for this to stop. We must work together to ensure our streets and schools are safe.”
The schools in Jennings are less than five miles from Hazelwood East High School, where a brutal assault was captured on video on Friday, March 8.
The victim of that assault, which took place in a residential street near the high school, has been identified by her first name, Kaylee. A GoFundMe set up by her family says that she suffered a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage and is still in critical condition, with major brain bleeding and swelling.
Kaylee’s mother spoke to KMOV saying that she hoped to dispel “misinformation” surrounding the video of the fight in the near future.
A 15-year-old is in custody on assault charges related to that incident. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has called for her to be charged as an adult, but as long as she remains in juvenile custody, her identity will not be made public.
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