After 1 died of apparent stabbing at Northside High School, here's what we know

Onslow County residents, parents and students are left with questions after an apparent stabbing at Northside High School Thursday morning left one student dead and another injured.

With the investigation active and ongoing, along with the victims and suspect all being minors, more information is expected in the coming days.

Here's what we know, and what's left to answer.

Earlier coverage: Northside High School incident: 1 dead, 1 hospitalized after apparent stabbing

Watch: Jacksonville police address Northside High School fatal stabbing

1 student dead, 1 injured, 1 in custody

A news conference was held Thursday morning in which Jacksonville Police Chief Michael Yaniero said the department received a call at 7:01 a.m. from Northside High School's school resource officer requesting assistance.

A physical altercation led to the stabbing of two students, both of whom were taken to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, Yaniero said. One of the two victims died as a result of their injuries, and the condition of the second student was unknown as of Thursday afternoon.

The Jacksonville Police Department is not releasing the names of the victims at this time because they are minors. The suspect, another student, has been taken into custody. Their name will also not be released due to them being a minor.

Yaniero said a teacher was also injured in the altercation but was not stabbed.

Still unknown, is what led to the altercation. While there has been speculation of the incident being gang-affiliated, Yaniero said during the conference that that is part of the ongoing investigation. He added gang activity is always a possibility in these cases.

Many students are said to have witnessed the incident, and Yaniero, along with Onslow County Schools Superintendent Barry Collins, said they are working to identify and interview those witnesses.

Northside High students will not return until after Labor Day

Students were released Thursday morning between 8:45 and 9 a.m. Collins said at the conference the school will hold virtual classes Friday, but return to in-person classes Tuesday following the Labor Day holiday.

All athletic practices and events for Thursday and Friday were postponed or canceled, Collins said.

Northside High School was put under lockdown due to the incident, along with surrounding Onslow County Schools. The lockdowns were later lifted on Thursday.

Has a suspect been charged?

Petitions and secure custody orders were filed on three juveniles, according to a Thursday evening press release from the Jacksonville Police Department. Because the three are minors, their names cannot be released; however, their ages and petitions have been.

The release stated a 16-year-old student has had a petition filed for voluntary manslaughter, possession of a weapon on school campus/property, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault on a school official.

Another 16-year-old student, as well as a 15-year-old student, have each had petitions filed for two counts of assault and disorderly conduct at school.

Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee emphasized the complicated nature of this case due to the suspect's age. Although the Jacksonville Police Department, along with the District Attorney's office, has not released the exact age of the suspect, Lee did note the "Raise the Age" law in the news conference.

Effective Dec. 1, 2019, 16 and 17-year-olds who commit crimes in North Carolina are no longer automatically charged in the adult criminal justice system, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

However, there are exceptions to this law.

Lee said 16 and 17-year-olds served with juvenile petitions for Class A through G felonies are subject to being transferred to superior court and tried as adults.

According to Schlosser and Pritchett Law, Class A felonies in North Carolina include charges such as first-degree murder; B felonies include charges such as first-degree rape or sexual offense, as well as second-degree murder; C felonies include charges such as second-degree sexual offense or first-degree kidnapping.

D felonies include charges like voluntary manslaughter, drug trafficking and burglary; E felonies include charges such as child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon; F felonies include charges like assault with a deadly weapon upon law enforcement and perjury and G felonies include charges such as common law robbery and minor drug violations.

"Just before I came over here, I was reading over the juvenile law again," Lee said during the conference. "So, we've got to make some decisions about that, in addition to certain things including contacting Juvenile Justice, which has been done, and we will be working with them in order to secure the appropriate charges. At that point, the DA's office will be following the juvenile code, and furthermore, if this case needs to be in superior court as an adult, we'll get it transported to superior court as an adult."

The Daily News is in the process of trying to get a timeframe on when charges may be filed, but has thus far been told that JPD is still investigating.

Previously: Onslow County high school implements new security protocols

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Another Onslow school to go virtual Friday

By Thursday afternoon, another Onslow County high school received a potential threat, which prompted officials to make Friday there a remote learning day.

In an email to parents, White Oak High School Principal Joycelyn Cassidy said it received word from the Onslow County Sheriff's Office of the potential threat related to the incident at Northside.

Students are set to begin virtual classes Friday at 8 a.m.

What security measures are in place?

Onslow County Schools allows each school to make certain decisions on safety and security protocols specific to that school.

The Northside incident comes weeks after Jacksonville High School announced new, controversial security protocols on its campus; including, only permitting clear backpacks on campus, implementing lockers, and completely prohibiting cell phone use.

Collins said the district has always, and will continue to put a lot of resources into the safety and security of students. Measures taken have included the addition of school resource officers where every school has at least one, as well as surveillance cameras and swipe-in door locks.

"But there probably are some other things that we're going to have to look at," Collins said at the conference. "Those are the type of things we'll be looking at in the next days and weeks."

This is a developing story. Continue to follow JDNews.com for additional updates. 

Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Northside High School: What we know so far about alleged stabbing