Jennings County school stabbing

At Jennings County High Schol in North Vernon an emotional day. One students said "a bunch of people in my class were like crying and stuff. I knew the kid. The boy who was stabbed. Yeah."

North Vernon Police officer Andrew Richmond held his thumb and index finger about 4 inches apart as he shows the size of the slash found on the side of the boys neck. 16-year-old Lester Peacock's throat was slashed from behind by a 16-year-old sophomore while in study hall.

Officer Richmond says, "where the wound was, how deep it was, it could have been much worse. It missed several major blood vessels a fraction of an inch."

The 15-year-old suspect dropped the knife and ran from the building. Two hours police found him hiding in a ditch near his mother's house after he allegedly sent a text message telling others where he was.

One student says the principal came on the school's PA and said "we are on lockdown - we thought it was a drill." The building sealed shut until they caught the suspect and even then stayed under heightened security the rest of the school day.

"It 's tragedy, it's a very bad thing," said the grandmother of another student at the large High School.

By phone the injured boy's cousin told us "he's doing all right so far. I never could believe it. Quiet, good kid."

Police not talking about motive but a number of students told us "girlfriend, that's what I heard some girl."

Officer Richmond said "it was an isolated incident. It was not a random act it was just between these two."

If any good came of Monday's attack police were pleased the school's emergency procedures worked so well and a boy didn't die.

A senior at the high school told us "you hear about this happening at larger schools but never though it would happen at home."