On Monday, Feb. 23, at around 6:25 p.m. an alert was sent out about an armed suspect in Fuquay-Varina. Residents were told to go inside and stay there until further notice. The suspect was taken into custody around 40 minutes after the alert was sent out.

 The sheriff’s office received a call from Tobacco Barn Road, located on the south side of Fuquay-Varina. They responded to the call at around 5:15 p.m. and arrived at the scene to find two juvenile victims with severe and life-threatening injuries. The two victims were taken to the hospital, but the suspect was still missing. 

Authorities were trying to find the suspect before he could harm anyone else. They sent out the alert, which said to go inside and stay inside until further notice. It also said they were looking for the suspect in the area of Tobacco Barn Road, Wagstaff Road, Highway 42 and Highway 401.

About 40 minutes after the first alert was sent out, a second one was sent out saying that the armed suspect had been found and taken into custody.

Many people were uncomfortable to hear that someone nearby was running around their streets armed. 

Sophomore Addy Green said, “[When the alert was sent out] I texted my mom to make sure the doors were locked.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, more details were released about the suspect and his victims. The suspect is a 16-year-old who attended Willow Spring High School. He is said to have attacked a 12-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy with a knife and hammer, which resulted in the death of the girl the morning after the incident. Neighbors told CBS 17 that the victims were the siblings of the suspect. He was initially charged with the assault of the 9-year-old boy and the murder of the 12-year-old girl.

“My thoughts on what happened are truly horrific, it’s such a sad thing that a fourth and seventh grader got stabbed,” said sophomore Maddie Edwards.

By North Carolina law, the suspect is considered old enough to be tried as an adult for the charge of murder. His court date was set for Tuesday but was rescheduled to be on Wednesday due to unknown circumstances. The investigation is still ongoing.