PHOTO: Teenage Student Stabs Colleague In Classroom
A19-year-old Kaci Lenise-Charlie Sloan of Arizona State University has been charged for allegedly stabbing her peer twice in a classroom in Glendale on September 19.
Maricopa County authorities charged her with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and disorderly conduct with a weapon in connection with the attack against student Mara Daffron, FOX News reports.
Daffron’s neighbors created a GoFundMe for her, stating she was “stabbed several times, but luckily, she is making great progress and is on the mend.”
The GoFundMe page titled “Support Mara Daffron’s Recovery Journey” further explains, “We’d like our community to come together and support the Daffron family during this difficult time.
“These funds will go towards anything the family may need. We know Mara will come out stronger than ever from this unimaginable attack.”
Matthew McCormick, a student who witnessed the attack, took swift action to stop Sloan, potentially saving Daffron’s life. “As she was going for a third attack, I was able to grab her wrists and apprehend her before further damage could be done,” he told FOX 10 Phoenix.
“At that moment I didn’t really have a thought going through my head, I just knew that I felt compelled to do something.”
Approximately 13 witnesses, including a professor, recounted the incident to police. A probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital noted that the stabbing occurred “without any provocation or any words spoken.”
Police corroborated McCormick’s account, reporting that one witness “was able to disarm the defendant by pulling the knife away from the defendant’s right hand and threw it [sic] away from them.”
According to the affidavit, another witness described Sloan as “sitting in the classroom at a desk and suddenly got up and ran at the victim as the victim entered the classroom and stabbed her multiple times.”
Detectives found a handwritten note in Sloan’s backpack that referenced an act she was “about to commit,” although it did “not specifically state what she was referring to.”
“After reading her Miranda Rights, the defendant admitted she came to class to hurt somebody and was planning the attack since the night prior.”
Sloan indicated her intent to “hurt somebody” during an interview with detectives and chose Daffron because she was “an easier target” than another potential victim, whom she referred to as “a veteran.”
Authorities quickly transported Daffron to a nearby hospital for treatment of her wounds. An ASU spokesperson stated, “ASU Police continue to investigate a Sept. 19 on-campus stabbing of a student.
Kaci Sloan was immediately detained and arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; interfering with an educational institution; and disorderly conduct. She is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond.”
The spokesperson added that “ASU and the entire ASU West Valley community are deeply saddened by what happened. Counseling support is available to all.”
Sloan has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday in Maricopa County.
