School resource officer convinced teen to drop knife, seek help, Wichita police say
Wichita police say a school resource officer helped talk down a 14-year-old East High School student who threatened to harm himself with a knife Thursday afternoon.
The teen boy was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation after the officer convinced him to put down the knife and seek help, police spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said Friday.
Davidson said the teen told East High staff that he wanted to hurt himself and “possibly end his life” at about 3:15 p.m. Thursday while he was still at the school, 2301 E. Douglas. He didn’t have a knife at that time. Davidson said the boy ran off school property and into a nearby neighborhood. The WPD school resource officer assigned to East followed.
When he found him, the boy had a knife that he raised toward the officer, Davidson said.
“The WPD officer utilized time and distance and continued to talk to the juvenile. The officer was able to deescalate the situation and have the juvenile put down the knife,” Davidson said.
No one was hurt.
Anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm — or has a friend or loved one who is — should reach out to someone, Davidson said. Available resources include calling 911, the Comcare Community Crisis Center at 316-660-7500 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Kansans ages 15 to 24 and the third leading cause of death for Kansans ages 5 to 14, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In 2017, 32 youths died by suicide in Kansas, a 60% increase over the prior year.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 12:40 PM.
