The Washington Post reported a noticeable increase in crime rates among students following their time spent at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest example of this was a young father and his teenage son who were killed when a gunman opened fire at a high school graduation ceremony in Virginia. The report noted, "The average number of school shooting incidents in the country was about 11 incidents annually until 2017. Since the beginning of 2018, incidents of violence have been on the rise, and in 2022, there were more school shooting incidents totaling around 46, the highest rate for any year since at least 1999."
In the UK, three people, including two students, were reported to be seriously injured following an assault at a private school in Devon, southwestern Britain. Police were called on Friday afternoon to a building at Blundell's School in Tiverton after reports of a serious assault. A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of three counts of intentional serious bodily harm, and authorities confirmed he remains in custody. Local police chief Anthony Hart stated, "This is a deeply distressing incident for the school community, and we will continue to work closely with the school to provide support to those involved." He added, "At this time, it is understood that all parties involved are affiliated with the school. I want to reassure the community that there are no wider risks, and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident," emphasizing, "We will continue our searches and inquiries in the vicinity of the school as we are in the early stages of our investigation."
In France, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Thursday that "several children were injured in a knife attack in France." He wrote on his official Twitter account, "Several children were injured in the town of Annecy, located in the French Alps, due to a knife attack," indicating that "the attacker has been apprehended."
