ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook held a news conference Sunday morning to provide an update on the five teens who were stabbed Saturday night in Orange Park.
Cook stated that nine boys ages 13-17 were involved in a “very large fight” in the front yard of a home on Debbie Lane.
Tragically, a 13-year-old boy involved in the fight died at the hospital Sunday morning.
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Cook said around 7:30 p.m. two 13-year-old boys were home alone when four boys, ages 10 to 14 showed up.
The four boys outside started banging on the windows and the door, challenging the two boys inside to come outside and fight them.
The two boys inside were home alone and called their friends for backup, according to Cook.
A few minutes later, three boys pulled up in a car — they were the friends who were called for backup. Those boys were ages 13 to 17, Cook said.
The three boys in the car got out and started fighting the other group of four boys who were outside. During the fight, someone pulled out a knife and started stabbing individuals, the sheriff said.
ORIGINAL STORY: CCSO: 5 teens stabbed in Orange Park home, deputies say
Then, one of the two boys inside the house came outside with a knife and started stabbing others.
Around 8:25 p.m. the sheriff’s office received 911 calls. Deputies and fire rescue arrived shortly after, and five boys were transported to two nearby hospitals.
One of the five boys died Sunday morning. He was 13 years old, according to Cook.
Of the four others who were transported, two are still in the hospital, and two were released.
When asked how she as a mother is processing this tragic incident, Cook said, “It’s tough. It’s the week of Thanksgiving and instead of being thankful, we have a family of a 13-year-old child who has to plan a burial, a funeral. That’s extremely, extremely sad. I grieve for the families.”
Sheriff Cook said investigations are still at an early stage and officers do not know what started the fight.
Deputies believe they have identified the nine boys who were involved in the fight. However, police are concerned there may have been others who fled the scene before officials arrived.
Cook said the nine boys who have been identified are cooperating and all parents have been notified.
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The state attorney was at the scene last night and is also investigating the incident, the sheriff said.
When asked if the sheriff has any advice on what young people should do in a situation like this, Cook said: “Any young person who feels threatened in any way, call 911 ... I wish these young men would’ve called 911 instead of their friends.”
The sheriff asks any parents or kids who know anything about the incident to call the sheriff’s office at 904-264-6512.
Below is Sheriff Michelle Cook’s 11 a.m. press conference. You can also click here to watch the press conference.