Suspect in custody after student stabbed at Sprayberry High

Editor’s note: This story was updated Thursday.

A Sprayberry High School student was rushed to surgery Wednesday after being stabbed in a bathroom at school, police said.

Aedan Smith, a 17-year-old student at the school, was charged with aggravated assault and carrying a weapon within a school safety zone, according to a news release from the Cobb County Police Department.

A fight broke out in the bathroom, witnesses told police, during which Smith reportedly stabbed the victim multiple times.

The victim, identified as 18-year-old Earl Nichols, was listed in critical condition, police said.

The incident happened late Wednesday morning. The Marietta campus was secure by 12:45 p.m., Cobb County officials said.

Principal Sara Fetterman called the event “upsetting” in a message to families. The suspect “will be held accountable to the strictest legal and disciplinary consequences,” she wrote.

The incident comes almost two months after two people who were not students were shot in the McEachern High School parking lot. In its wake, parents and community members have been urging school district officials to implement more safety and security measures.

About the Author

Cassidy Alexander

Cassidy Alexander covers K-12 education in Cobb and DeKalb counties for the AJC. She previously covered education for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, covering the school district where she grew up. In 2020, she was named Florida's Outstanding New Journalist of the Year.

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