Students and staff members at a U.K. school are in "shock" after a teacher was stabbed to death by a 15-year-old student on Monday.
Anne Maguire, a Spanish teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, England, was stabbed multiple times in front of her students, the BBC reported. The 61-year-old was rushed to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The suspect, whose name was not released, was held by other staff members and taken into custody. A knife was recovered at the scene, Paul Money, from the West Yorkshire Police department, told the BBC.
"The incident itself was over very quickly and no other pupils or staff were threatened or injured. However this has clearly been a very traumatic situation for those involved," Money said.
This is the first situation of its kind at the school of 944 students, located on a large estate in the city of Leeds, Money said. Students are between the ages of 11 and 16, according to the school's website.
"It's regarded as a good school in what in the past could be regarded as a problematic area overall," the BBC's Danny Savage said.
Teachers are "in shock" and Maguire's death will "understandably have a massive impact," on the school and her family, Money told the BBC.
"I actually feel sick," one student tweeted, the BBC reported. "RIP to probably the best teacher ever."
The motive for the stabbing was not immediately known. Detective Superintendent Simon Beldon said the attack is "an isolated incident," according to Euronews.com.
"The situation is under control and officers...are currently at the school and are liaising closely with staff. The rest of the school is continuing to operate as normal," Beldon said.
Most responses to the stabbing, which is still being investigated, focused on the rarity of such incidents.
"Appalling events like this are thankfully very rare indeed but the death of any teacher in her place of work, which should be a place of safety, is devastating," National Union of Teachers General Secretary Christine Blower, told the BBC.
