North Forsyth High School Stabbing: Latest Updates

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The investigation into a deadly stabbing that left one student dead and another student injured at North Forsyth High School on Tuesday morning is still ongoing.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is holding a press conference at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday regarding the deadly stabbing. You will be able to watch the press conference live on FOX8, on air, and online.

North Forsyth High School will operate on a remote learning day on Thursday before returning to a regular in-person schedule on Friday. The school was closed on Wednesday.

Here is everything we know so far.

Student altercation turns deadly

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools operated on a two-hour delay due to winter weather on Tuesday morning and the first bell rang at 10:55 a.m. at North Forsyth. The deadly stabbing took place just moments later.

On Tuesday morning, a large law enforcement and EMS presence was seen at the school. Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said that the SRO at North Forsyth “sent out a communication that he needed all hands on deck” at around 11:04 a.m.

Kimbrough confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that there was “a loss of life” as a result of “an altercation between two students.” Kimbrough shared another statement on Tuesday night, confirming that a stabbing had taken place.

Winston-Salem Police Department Chief William Penn also spoke at the Tuesday afternoon press conference, saying it was “a dark day for our city.”

Newly sworn-in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Don Phipps spoke at the Tuesday afternoon press conference and confirmed that North Forsyth would be closed for students on Wednesday due to the deadly stabbing. A crisis team was on the premises.

“Today is the worst nightmare of any educator,” Phipps said. “We hurt when our students hurt, and this is the ultimate hurt that we can possibly feel.”

Phipps was scheduled to have a speaking engagement at a local church at noon on Tuesday. However, those plans were altered due to the deadly stabbing.

Phipps also reached out to families at North Forsyth in an email on Tuesday afternoon. “Violence has no place at our schools,” he said in part. “We are calling on our community to surround our students and staff with kindness and care at this moment.

The WS/FCS Board of Education was scheduled to meet on Tuesday evening and that meeting is being rescheduled.

It is not yet clear whether or not the weapons detection system was being used at North Forsyth on Tuesday morning. It is also not known what kind of weapon was used in the stabbing.

Family identifies student killed

Charlita Summers identified the student who was killed as her nephew, 16-year-old Cameron Graham.

She said this is a tough time for her family as they are deeply hurt from the tragic loss.

“A light in his family. He was funny. He loved his family. He loved to play sports. He loved being around his friends, spending time with family. He was full of love,” Summers said.

Summers said Cameron was being raised by his grandmother. He had been with his grandmother since he was nine years old.

Summers said her nephew was known for being a funny and loving boy.

She said the pain has been especially heavy for his grandmother, who never imagined sending her grandson to school would end this way.

“My mama didn’t think to send my baby to school, and that he was going to get killed at school. School is supposed to be a safe place,” Summers said.

Law enforcement officials have asked the community not to share the video circulating online of the stabbing at NFHS.

“I just wish that it could’ve got handled a better way, and I feel like it should have been more staff out there in the hallway to even see there was a big crowd because it was so many people in that restroom. Why wasn’t nobody monitoring that area?” Summers said.

She said her family is still struggling to understand how this incident could have happened.

Summers said the family is calling for stronger, more visible and consistent security measures in schools and said no family should ever have to experience this kind of loss.

“We need to make sure the kids are not bringing in any weapons. Make sure that they have them detectors there every day. Make sure they walking through there, they’re getting patted down every day. Them kids will sneak something in there real fast, real easily. I just wish they would handle that a different way. I hope this opens up a lot of people’s eyes with parents in this school system to really talk to these kids about how serious life is,” Summers said.

A parent whose son was friends with Cameron told FOX8 that her son has taken his death hard and is only sleeping and crying.

She said just hours before the stabbing, Cameron and his friends were talking and joking together in a group chat Cameron had created.

WSPD chief calls for removal of video from social media

As members of the community await answers from officials, Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn Jr. is calling for an apparent video of the stabbing to be pulled from social media.

“I’d also like to say whoever’s sharing this video, liking this video, commenting on this video, please think about the insensitive nature of what you’re doing,” Penn said.

While many teens at the high school either witnessed their classmate pass away or lived through the aftermath, it’s hard to remove the traumatic video from social media platforms.

A FOX8 viewer reported the video that was circulating on Instagram.

Instagram responded, saying, “It does not go against our community standards on violence or dangerous organizations.”

Kayla Steele is the co-founder of the nonprofit Youth Collaborative, Incorporated.

Steele leads a program called Project X, which works to meet the needs of at-risk youth in Winston-Salem by helping participants reach educational and employment goals.

Steele says many teens tend to share violent videos because they’re desensitized.

“Unfortunately, that is such a sticky situation because of laws around censorship and freedom of speech. It can be very difficult to take things like that down. Every single student that goes to that school has been seriously affected by this. That’s not something that you just get over,” Steele said.

Steele says the best strategy students and parents can use to prevent violent videos is not interacting with them and taking social media breaks when necessary.

“When you’re trying to avoid the video, it’s still popping up for people. Even if it’s not the actual video, different screenshots are showing up. Even in my personal feeds, and I’ve been trying my best to avoid it. It’s not something I want to see. I think the best thing everybody would be to take a break from social media, and that will help the video go away,” Steele said.

Following Tuesday’s deadly stabbing, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines says they will redouble their efforts with the youth crime reduction initiative that the city began in November.

FOX8 also reached out to Meta about their guidelines regarding violent videos, and we’re waiting for a response.

Public reaction

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein called the stabbing “shocking” and “horrible” and said he is praying for the students and their loved ones.

Kimbrough asked for prayers for the families and community, calling it “another sad day in Forsyth County,” and describing the call that the NFHS SRO made to the sheriff’s office.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said, “On behalf of the City of Winston-Salem, I extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and the North Forsyth High School community during this time of immeasurable loss.”

On Tuesday evening, Kimbrough shared a statement on social media, urging parents to talk to their children and love them. He also asked again for prayers for the community.

“All of us are hurting. I need your prayers. The school system needs your prayers. The students at North Forsyth need your prayers. There’s a family who child will be getting on the bus about now on the way home, but he’s not. He lost his life in a stabbing incident at the school,” Kimbrough said.

NC Rep. Amber Baker released a statement on the deadly stabbing that took place at the high school she attended.

“Today, my heart is truly broken. To learn of the incident that took place at my alma mater, in my hometown, and my district. As the representative for District 72, I mourn the tragic loss of life at North Forsyth High School, a place that will forever be a part of who I am.” Baker said.

NFHS parents picked up their children from a reunification site after the stabbing.

Hilda Foster, a grandparent of an NFHS student, spoke to FOX8 while students and parents were being reunited.

“It was just devastating to have something like this happen today,” she said. “It’s sad that we’re coming to this. I just hate that this world is this way. I really do. I hope that we’ll all come together in unity and great faith.”

Foster says her grandchild called her mother and said she was scared when she heard people screaming in the school.

“That’s not something that you want to hear from your child at school,” Foster said.

She urged parents to talk to their children and listen to them.

Students were taken by bus from campus to the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to safely reunite with their parents.

As students waited inside the coliseum, parents lined up outside. Parents were handed reunification forms to complete and had to show photo identification to be reunited with their children.

Many parents say the hours following the incident were scary and nerve-wracking.

“It was scary. One thing she did was she reassured me that she was safe. I think the most horrendous part is that the kids are sitting around the video of what happened and what occurred, and the trauma that they would continue to feel seeing that video here, and people talk of the incident is just a very, very traumatic situation,” said Ebony Berry, a parent.

One mother says not only was her son inside the school at the time, but her husband also works there, and he called her earlier that morning asking her to pray.

She described the fear and uncertainty of waiting for updates, saying it was hard not knowing what was happening or when she would hear from either her son or her husband.

“I absolutely think that some therapy sessions are going to need … to be had. More than just a counselor coming in. They’re all going to need some therapy and some counseling,” said Crystal Hopper, a parent.

Parents and students were eventually reunited before Tuesday evening at the coliseum. Many embraced after a long and emotional day.

“The hardest part was standing there waiting on him. I just needed to put my eyes on him to make sure that he was Ok because, as kids, they don’t process things the same way that we do … Putting my arms around him made all the difference,” Hopper said.

Many parents are worried about the heartache students are now left with.

“I’m so sad right now because my son knows who they are. I’m hurt right now. I’m hurt. All I know is that I hope they have grief counselors there for the rest of the school year for these students. School had just started this morning, and these students is going to need a lot of support right now,” said Tracy Russell, a parent.

“Those are two kids who did something very bad. I don’t think that reflects on everyone at the school and the building and all of the students, all of the faculty. I don’t think that’s a reflection of them directly. But at this current moment, I don’t feel safe,” said Wayne Graham, a parent.

The Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity announced it will be holding a virtual prayer vigil in support of the North Forsyth community at 6 p.m. on Friday. You can contact the group for the Zoom information.