- A 7-year-old took a knife to school and planned to stab his teachers and other students.
- The boy said he also wanted to hurt another student who had picked on him.
- The student said he knew how to do it because he had watched a horror movie featuring Chucky, a killer doll.
A South Carolina kindergartner said he watched a horror movie and got inspired to take a knife to school with plans to threaten a teacher and students, including a student he said picked on him.
Investigators said the 7-year-old boy brought the knife last week from his home to his school, Cherryvale Elementary, about 40 miles east of Columbia. The stainless steel knife is just over 12 inches long, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said, and a teacher saw the weapon in the student’s backpack when the boy opened it.
No one was hurt at the school and the investigation is ongoing, deputies said.
“From the information available to us at this time, the student did not brandish the knife and threaten anyone with it,” investigators said.
While the student was with the school resource officer, administrators learned the student wanted to stab a teacher and students, including a student that had been ‘picking’ on him, deputies said.
“The SCSO has not been made aware of any warning signs noticed by school faculty or staff that would have prompted preventive action,” investigators said.
Investigators said when the boy was asked why he brought the knife to school, he said he wanted to kill people by stabbing them in the heart. The boy said he knew how to do it because he watched one of the “Chucky” movies, according to deputies.
“Child’s Play”, an R-rated horror franchise, made its debut in 1988 and has spawned at least seven additional spin-offs and sequels.
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What’s going to happen to the student?
The sheriff’s office said the knife the 7-year-old student brought to school was entered into evidence.
According to law enforcement, children under 11 can’t be detained by law enforcement without a family court order.
Investigators are trying to figure out how the child had access to the knife and whether his parents or guardians were negligent in any way.
“If it is determined that negligence of the parent(s) or guardian contributed to the incident, the sheriff’s office will make necessary and appropriate charges,” the sheriff’s office said.
Once the investigation is over, the sheriff’s office plans to pass information along to the Department of Social Services to follow up with the child’s family.
“We will do everything within our power to protect our children from harm,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in a statement on Facebook. “At the same time, we support school and DSS officials as they work to balance discipline and compassion with all children.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.