Police continue to search for a man they say stabbed a seven-year-old student on an elementary school playground May 6.
The second grade student was on a swing set at World of Wonder school in Dayton, Ohio when the man attacked her, according to mydaytondailynews.com.
The suspect, who fled on foot after the stabbing, is described as a black male between the ages of 18 and 20 with a light complexion and short hair. The suspect is no taller than 5-foot-10 and was wearing an orange shirt, tan or green hoodie and blue or beige gym shorts at the time of the attack. Police are asking anyone with information to call 937-333-COPS or Crime Stoppers at 937-222-STOP.
Police are unsure if the girl was targeted or if the stabbing was a random attack. Wishtv reports that the victim is listed in critical condition at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
The school was immediately placed on lockdown as school officials alerted police. A school security officer who is usually at the school wasn’t on campus Friday, according to a district spokeswoman.
Two security offices stationed at Thurgood Marshall High School two blocks away quickly responded to the scene, according to Fox News.
At least one teacher was outside at the time of the incident, and a parent inside the school described the scene as students fled the playground yelling about a stabbing.
The school teaches kids pre-K through eighth grade. Students were dismissed at their regular times on Friday, and as parents picked up their children they were also handed a letter from the district with information on the incident. The letter also informed parents that additional security precautions will be taken at the school “in the days ahead whenever our students are outdoors.”
Some parents questioned the school’s security and wondered if fences should be surrounding the playground to restrict outsider access.
