Montreal teen accused of stabbing teacher charged with attempted murder; Crown seeking adult sentence

A 16-year-old boy in Montreal accused of stabbing his teacher in class and showing the knife off to his classmates was charged Friday with attempted murder.  

The youth, who cannot be identified due to his age, appeared at the Montreal courthouse Friday morning following the attack the previous day, which sent John F. Kennedy High School into lockdown and worried parents rushing to the building.

He was also charged with aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of a concealed weapon.

Crown prosecutor Mélanie Rose also filed an application with the court to sentence the teen as an adult if he is found guilty at trial.

The boy was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Maxime Canuel, an arts teacher in his 40s, suffered minor injuries to the upper body after the attack shortly after 10 a.m.

The English Montreal School Board said Thursday he had undergone surgery and that his injuries were not life-threatening. 

After the SWAT team arrested the teen, concerned parents anxiously waited for their children to be let out of the school as they wondered how something like this could happen. 

"For reasons unknown to everyone, he pulled the knife and stabbed the teacher. This was done in front of a group of students who were already there. We're obviously in a state of shock," EMSB spokesperson Michael Cohen told CTV News while the school was still in lockdown. 

"The student left the classroom with his knife, apparently -- he showed the knife to all the students, put it back in his pants, and just walked out of the building, and then the police apprehended him."

Cohen added that there had been some disciplinary issues with the student in the past but nothing that led the school to expect the kind of violent act that took place Thursday.

Several elected officials expressed their shock about the attack, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec’s education minister, Jean-François Roberge, who called it a “heinous act.”

Classes at the school were cancelled Friday due to the attack and will resume Tuesday, since Monday is a professional development day.