Girl, 14, charged with attempted murder after allegedly setting classmate on fire at Sask. high school
CBC
WARNING: this story contains distressing details.
The 14-year-old girl accused of seriously injuring a 15-year-old classmate by lighting her on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and arson.
The accused, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, wept throughout her brief appearance in Saskatoon provincial court on Friday morning. Judge Doug Agnew ordered she attend in person so he could see the teen, who wore a hoodie, before remanding her into custody until her next appearance on Sept. 11.
Several family members of the accused were also present in court. They remained quiet during the brief proceedings and declined to speak with CBC News.
The victim was rushed to hospital after a noon-hour assault on Thursday and is believed to be in serious condition, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said in a news release Friday. SPS said they are continuing to investigate.
On Friday, signs in support of the victim and the Evan Hardy community, as well as dozens of bouquets of flowers, were placed outside the high school.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority declined to comment on the conditions of the student or the teacher in an email to CBC News on Friday, citing patient and family confidentiality.
The 15-year-old victim's aunt wept throughout Friday's court proceedings as she sat beside the victim's older cousin, who attends a different high school in the city. Both of the victim's relatives also declined to speak with CBC News.
Students at Evan Hardy had been sent home after the attack and classes on Friday were cancelled, though the school was open to provide counselling services to students and staff. Principal Karen Peterson said in a letter to families Friday those services will continue on Monday and classes will resume on Tuesday.
Saskatoon Public Schools director of education Shane Skjerven said Friday the past 24 hours had been extremely difficult for the school and thanked emergency services that responded to the incident.
"We recognize the seriousness of this incident and understand the strong emotions it has stirred throughout the entire school community and our community," he told reporters Friday. "The safety and well-being of our students, staff and families remain our top priority."
Grade 9 student Sophie Hubbard said she and her friend Lexxi Sparvier were leaving social studies class on Thursday when the incident occurred. Hubbard said she saw a girl pour liquid from a black container onto another girl and lift a hand toward the other girl's head, then saw the victim on fire in the hallway. Neither student saw what was used to ignite the fire.
"I just paused for five seconds and then I yelled, 'Fire!' and ran out with Sophie," Sparvier told reporters at the school yard on Friday. "I'm still shaking a little."
Teachers were yelling for the victim to roll on the ground to help extinguish the fire and used fire extinguishers as the flames spread to part of a nearby wall, the two students said. The fire alarm went off as well, they added.
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