Crossbow Attack: 13-Year-Old Boy Kills Teacher, Injures 3 Others In Violent Rampage

A 13-year-old boy killed a teacher in a crossbow attack in north Barcelona, Spain. Another teacher and two students were injured in the violent rampage as well.

The Guardian reports that the scene unfolded at 9:15 a.m. on Monday at Joan Fuster Secondary School in La Sagrera. Witnesses recall the boy arriving to school late and shot a crossbow at his teacher’s face when she opened the door. The boy, wearing camouflage clothing, then shot at the teacher’s daughter and another student.

Gemma Jarque, a student at the school, saw the crossbow attack. She said screams could be heard when the boy carried his horrific assault.

“We were just starting the class and suddenly we heard screams. So we shut ourselves inside our classroom in order to be safe.”

A fellow teacher at the secondary school heard his colleague’s cries and sprang to action. He rushed to her side in an effort to protect her, but the boy attacked him — killing him. The unidentified teacher was a supply teacher who was new to the school. At the time of the crossbow attack, he was substituting a social sciences class when the incident happened. He hadn’t been at the school for more than a week. It’s unknown if he was killed with a crossbow or machete, according to a regional police spokeswoman.

Jarque said the teacher was “lying on the floor in a pool of blood” and students in the class hid during the attack. It wasn’t the end of the boy’s vicious spree at the school, however. The boy went into another class and threatened another student with a knife. Not long after, the gym teacher found him in the hallway preparing a bomb. This teacher was aware of the child’s personal problems and tried calming him until authorities arrived.

The boy reportedly said, “I hear voices; I want to stop all the voices.”

Jose Miguel Company, a spokesman for the Barcelona prosecutor’s office.

Fox News reports that Barcelona prosecutor’s office spokesman, Jose Miguel Company, said the boy was taken in for psychiatric evaluation. Company said that the 13-year-old was “very disturbed and saying strange and incoherent things.”

A teacher wishing to remain anonymous said the boy was “very friendly to teachers” and had great school attendance.

The three people injured were taken to a hospital, but their wounds are considered non-life threatening. Since the student is 13, he won’t be criminally charged. The age for criminal responsibility in Spain is 18.

This incident marks the first case of a student killing a teacher in Spain. The crossbow attack shocked the city, which sees very few violent crimes.

[Photo Credit: @enricbotella/Twitter]