An armed man who fatally stabbed one person and critically injured another at a Virginia technical school on Tuesday afternoon was killed in a shooting with police on campus, authorities said.
The double stabbing happened just before 3 p.m. at JATC/NECA technical school in Manassas, the Prince William County Police Department said.
Police Chief Peter Newsham described the scene at the school as "horrific."
"You got folks that come out here to do some training and then the next thing you know, one of them has lost his life and another one is struggling for his life at a local hospital," the chief told reporters at the scene. "I just … I cannot imagine what the families are going through right now."
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Officers responded to the apprenticeship training center and encountered a man armed with a knife near the front entrance, according to authorities.
Multiple officers opened fire, striking the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered a knife at the location.
Two male stabbing victims were found and given first aid before being rushed to a hospital. Police later said that one victim died of his injuries while the surviving victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.
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It was unclear what led to the altercation that resulted in the stabbing.
"It is just very disturbing that somebody would have gone crazy and done what they did to whoever had passed on," a student named Raymond told FOX5 DC. "We are all sorry to hear about that."
Police did not immediately release the names of the attacker or the victims. The investigation is ongoing.
