A stabbing occurred at Carrick High School on Wednesday morning. One student remains in critical condition, and two others are also being treated.

According to Public Safety spokesperson Cara Cruz, officials were called to the school around 8:30a.m. after an altercation broke out between many individuals.

“It stemmed from an altercation in the hallway,” Cruz said. “I don’t know exactly how it started. It wasn’t a random someone stabbing people in the hallway.”

Based on a criminal complaint obtained by Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, 16-year-old Anthony Taulton was detained in a nearby classroom and later taken into custody following the incident.

Male students ranging from 15 to 18 were involved. The building was on lockdown while police evaluated the situation.

The complaint mentioned a student suffered a stab wound to the forearm and abdomen. That student was taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment. A second student had a minor cut to his finger, and he was treated on the scene.

The third student was stabbed in the abdomen and taken to the Children’s Hospital. The student is reported to be in critical condition.

Taulton also endured a minor cut to his finger. He was treated before being taken to Pittsburgh Police headquarters.

Officials said a kitchen knife with a broken blade was found inside a classroom near where the incident took place.

According to the complaint, Pittsburgh Police detectives later visited the student at Mercy Hospital. They discovered part of the knife blade had become “lodged into his elbow” during the incident.

The victim mentioned to police that when they were walking to class, they said their friend was being “jumped.” The victim noticed they had been stabbed, and they were later taken to the nurse’s office.

Video footage shows Taulton engaging in a fight with one of the victims.

Taulton told police he had been in a texting thread with students in the school. He said the students made threats against him three weeks before the incident. Taulton mentioned he took a knife from home and placed it in his backpack. Later, he moved the knife to his hoodie front pocket.

Pittsburgh Public Schools chief Dena Young said the incident happened briefly after the school day started. She mentioned the 16-year-old was late, but he did enter the building through an area where there was security present.

“There are metal detectors up here at the front entrance and down below,” Young said. “The majority of the kids come in up here, but the late students do enter through the cafeteria, and he was late, so he did enter through the cafeteria. All kids are screened through the metal detectors as they come in.”

According to Young, the 16-year-old’s mother was at the school at the time of the stabbing.

“The mother talked to one of the security people and maybe an administrator. I’m not certain about that. He is new to the school, and his mother showed that, I guess, there was some social media stuff that she had, some screenshots that she might have shared, that there was possibly something brewing between him and these other three boys,” Young said.

Taulton has been charged with possession of a weapon, three counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon while on school property.

Hours following the stabbing, the principal sent out a letter to parents and students, saying the school will transition to remote learning for the remainder of the week.

“On Thursday, September 25, students will participate in synchronous remote learning where students will follow their class schedule and log in to class through Schoology,” the district said.

The letter also said, “On Friday, September 26, 2025, students will access class materials and complete assignments through Schoology on their own schedule (asynchronous).”

The principal mentioned the transition to online learning was made to ensure student and faculty safety while the investigation continues. She apologized in the delay to notify families.

“We apologize for the delayed notifications regarding today’s incident,” Fitchwell said. “These delays were necessary to accurately assess all moving parts of an active situation and ensure the safety of students and staff. We are committed to providing transparent, relevant, and timely information as we navigate incidents like this.”

Anyone with questions or concerns should contact the school’s office at (412) 529-7700.