Student stabbed on school bus

CARUTHERSVILLE - A middle school student remains in critical condition after being repeatedly stabbed by a classmate on a school bus Wednesday.

The Pemiscot County Sheriff's Office, Pemiscot County Juvenile Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Steele Police Department are continuing their investigation today into the stabbing of a 14-year-old student that occurred at 7:15 a.m.

Pemiscot County 911 received a call at 7:26 a.m. from CAR-MAC's Station at Route O and 55. The caller advised a bus was on the station's lot, a student had been stabbed and another student was armed with a knife.

A Cooter police officer arrived on the scene, followed by Pemiscot County deputies, Steele police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to find the suspect being held on the ground at gun point by a citizen armed with a pistol. Officers then took the suspect into custody without incident and learned he was also a 14-year-old student.

Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell said the suspect was sitting in the back of the bus when the victim got on and walked toward the back.

''The best we can tell is this gentleman just got up and started stabbing him,'' Greenwell said. A motive has not been determined.

The suspect has been turned over to Pemiscot County Juvenile authorities.

The victim was taken to Great River Medical Center in Blytheville, Ark., with multiple stab wounds. His parents arrived and he was transferred to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis, Tenn., where he underwent surgery Wednesday.

Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell said the victim had successful surgery for stab wounds to the chest, back, legs and arms, and hospital officials was reported stable following surgery.

Names of the victim and the suspect were not released. Both the victim and suspect are students at South Pemiscot Middle School, located in Steele.

Some information was provided by the Associated Press.