Chris Wormely, Chicago Student, Killed In School Stabbing

'I Can't Believe It': Family Of Slain Student Speaks Out

The family of a Chicago student who was fatally stabbed by a classmate Thursday morning said when they heard the news, it felt "like a bad dream."

Chris Wormely, 17, reportedly had some conflict with the alleged murderer in the past, but officials at AMIkids Infinity high school told reporters that they received counseling -- and did not know what the issue was.

The South Side school, located at 10211 S. Crandon, provides services for kids that have been expelled or suspended from Chicago Public Schools. Often, the students have learning disabilities or behavioral problems.

The stabbing occurred about 7:30 a.m. Thursday -- despite the school's extra safety precautions. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Upon entering the school, the fewer than 50 students were subjected to metal detectors and pat downs to make sure they weren’t carrying weapons inside the building.

Despite these precautions, staff watched in horror Thursday morning as one student quickly and violently stabbed two other students as they prepared to enter the school.

A 16-year-old student who was wounded in the incident had reportedly been trying to break up the fight. He and Wormely were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Wormely was pronounced dead. The other teen is reportedly recovering.

“When they said he was deceased, I don’t know what was going through my head. I still can’t believe it,” the boy's mother, Charmayne Prince told the Tribune. “I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know what to feel.”

The suspect, also a 17-year-old student, was immediately taken into police custody. No charges had been filed as of Friday afternoon.

Wormely's family told the Chicago Sun-Times he tried to avoid trouble after transferring to the school from Lawrence Hall on the North Side. He made the move when his family relocated. His sister said he was shy, and attended the school due to his ADHD.

“He wanted to go back to Lawrence Hall,” Carleasa Wormely told the Sun-Times. “He said all the kids did at that [new] school was gangbang. He actually had a new red coat that he stopped wearing and would just wear a grey hoodie in the winter because he didn’t want any conflict out there if he wore that color.”

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