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Nov 17 2017

Bronx student arrested for murder in fatal stabbing of classmate

A Bronx high school student was arrested on multiple charges including murder and manslaughter for killing one classmate and injuring another.

Abel Cedeno, 18, was accused of stabbing two students with a switchblade during history class. A 15-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest, and a 16-year-old was hospitalized with serious injuries from the attack.

According to police, around 20 students saw the stabbing at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx. The school installed metal detectors following the incident.

Cedeno was arrested on charges of assault, attempted manslaughter, manslaughter, attempted murder, murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police said he admitted to purchasing the knife online for protection.

Authorities were investigating whether Cedeno had been bullied. According to family friends, he was allegedly harassed with homophobic and racist slurs until he finally snapped.

Cedeno said he had been bullied since the start of school this year. However, he did not specify why he was being bullied, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. Additionally, the teen did not have any prior problems with the victims. They were tossing broken pencil bits and paper at Cedeno’s head before the attack, police said.

Ahead of his arraignment at Bronx Criminal Court, family friend Savannah Hornback, 34, spoke on behalf of the Cedeno family. She said, “He was constantly tortured at school, and I guess he felt no other way out than to resort to the means that he did . . . The school was made aware, but there was no reaction from the school, so I guess he took matters into his own hands, unfortunately.”

However, police said Cedeno made no mention of reporting the harassment to school officials. He was placed under suicide watch and held without bail.