Student charged with attempted murder after sword attack at Manitoba high school

BRANDON – A 16-year-old student is facing a charge of attempted murder after another student was attacked with a sword at a Manitoba high school.

Police say the assault was stopped before more people could be hurt.

“Our officers’ intervention on this day prevented further bloodshed,” Brandon police Chief Tyler Bates said Wednesday.

“We know that, certainly, the harms that were intended were beyond the individual victim involved.”

Officers were called to the Brandon high school Tuesday afternoon about a person armed with a sword who was “going crazy,” Bates said.

The school had gone into lockdown. Police arrived in about three minutes and used a stun gun to arrest a suspect, Bates added. 

A 15-year-old boy suffered serious stab wounds to the chest, forearms, hands and thigh, police said. He was taken to hospital and later upgraded to stable condition.

School officials were offering support to those affected in the city of 51,000, west of Winnipeg.

“We have a crisis response team in place. But our support will not only be for today but will be ongoing into the future,” said the superintendent of the Brandon School Division, Mathew Gustafson.

The accused is also charged with uttering threats and disguise with intent.

Police said they were still searching for a motive.

The Brandon force employs school resource officers who perform outreach with students, and there were no reported prior dealings with the accused, Bates said.

“Certainly he was not on the radar as somebody that presented a risk of imminent harm and tragedy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.