Two Santa Ana High School students, both boys ages 15 and 17, turned themselves into police following a stabbing just outside the campus on Wednesday, May 7, that left one boy dead and two others injured, authorities said.
The boys, who were not identified by police, turned themselves in at Santa Ana police headquarters Wednesday night, spokeswoman Officer Natalie Garcia said.
Garcia said investigators believe the stabbing was gang-related.
Officers, including those with Santa Ana School Police, were called to the high school shortly after 3 p.m. after the five boys were involved in an altercation that led to the stabbing outside the high school in a parking lot shared with Martin R. Heninger Elementary School, Santa Ana Unified School District spokesman Fermin Leal said.
The three injured boys were hospitalized, with a 14-year-old boy dying, police said. Two other boys, ages 15 and 16, were expected to survive, officials said on Wednesday.
Santa Ana Unified canceled all after-school activities at the campuses following the stabbing, Leal said. District officials said crisis counselors will be available on campus Thursday, May 8, to support any students who may need assistance processing the deadly fight.
Some mourners arrived at the campus Wednesday night with flowers. Some criticized the district for a lack of transparency citing multiple recent fights and problems on campus.
The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding those concerns.
The victim’s ID was withheld pending notification of the boy’s relatives.