Lee-Davis High student charged in ax attack against schoolmate
A Lee-Davis High School student faces possible life in prison if convicted of an ax attack on a fellow student.
Hanover Commonwealth's Attorney Ramon E. "Trip" Chalkley declined yesterday to identify the 15-year-old, who is charged with aggravated malicious wounding in the incident. But he said he intends to try the youth as an adult and will seek to have the case transferred to Circuit Court.
Aggravated malicious wounding carries from 20 years to life in prison, but there is wide discretion for judges to handle a juvenile charged as an adult.
The attack Friday evening at Tractor Supply Co. in the Hanover Village Shopping Center across Mechanicsville Turnpike from the high school was captured on a video camera, Chalkley said. The only camera visible in the store is directly above a display of axes, hatchets and splitting mauls.
In the video, Chalkley said the attacker appears to make one stroke with a single-bladed ax toward the victim, also 15, who was facing his assailant.
A rubberized strip used to prevent cuts from the sharp edge of the ax was removed before the attack and recovered nearby, according to authorities.
The victim has been released from the hospital and is staying with his family, authorities said. The wound to his face extends from the victim's temple to his jawbone, according to officials.
Hanover Sheriff's Capt. Mike Trice yesterday described the incident as a flare-up between two people who had exchanged words.
"We hope people will let the law take its course," he said.
Hanover County sheriff's deputies today will continue a second day of increased visibility at Lee-Davis. "It's a precaution in reaction to calls we were getting from parents," Trice said.
A court hearing for the alleged attacker was postponed yesterday because he was not represented by a lawyer, Chalkley said. Another hearing is scheduled today in Hanover Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or
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Reader Reactions
Anton,
I had to check out the spelling on this, as I have always spelled ‘axe’ as axe.
However, the spelling ‘ax’ is also correct. Go figure, who knew. I just learned something new.
I thought the item alleged to be used in the alleged attack was spelled “axe,“ which I believe is a tool used for chopping wood.
Is an “ax” something else?
cmg1974 said it right in about 12 words
“It is not LD or Hanover County’s responsibility to BABYSIT your kid”
And…the “recipient” of this ax attack probably deserved something…NOT an ax attack…but having his as* beat FOR SURE!
I feel sorry for the assailant..b/c he felt that this was his option…unfortunately he didn’t use his fists/legs…that would be an appropriate response…b/c face it people…sometimes you just gotta stand up for yourself…and to all of the “victim’s friends” - you are just as much to blame if you encouraged his actions, or let him do it in front of you…
Our kids need to “grow a set” ‘ya know…all of this PC crap is just that…CRAP…ya gotta take care of your own…just do it in a way so that you don’t end of taking someone’s life/crippling them (etc) or ruining your own in the process
It amazes me that those who choose to comment on this story are sooooo judgmental. No one except those directly involved know what happened in this situation or why it happened. Those who say the school or the county are to blame are idiots. And, to say that this child must come from a single parent home??? How dare you? Just because a child does not live with both parents does not make him/her a behavioral problem. There is a unique set of circumstances involved that led up to this tragic event. I feel for both families having to deal with the “onlookers” who make themselves superior by placing blame and passing judgement. God bless both families! If you are not
involved, then perhaps you should mind your own business.
I don’t think it’s fair to blame a school for the incident, this was not on school grounds so how could the school be blamed? And I think that the “victim” should have walked away, it seems he was the agressor in this and the suspect fought back. The suspect had probably been harassed by this kid for far too long, and couldn’t take it anymore.
I do not know the victim or the assailant in this incident but I do have a child who attends Lee-Davis. I FIRMLY believe that this is not the school’s fault or should fall on their shoulders in any way. However I think many people are not reading all of the articles about this tragic incident and are just jumping to conclusions about the children involved. To say that “The parents of this student appears to have failed in bringing up their kid the proper way and basically could care less about what their kid does.“ or “This kid obviously is either from a seperated family and living with one parent or just in all reality could care less who he hurts just as long as he gets his way.“ is a truly uninformed judgmental comment. Other articles on those involved tell us that the assailant was an IB student. In case you are unaware, the IB program is one of the highest level educational programs that you can get into. My son who attends Lee-Davis, is in the Gifted Program and has made straight A’s all his life is taking Advanced Placement classes rather that trying to get into the IB programs because he is aware of the tough academic rigors of the program. We also know from the articles that “Abdelaal has never had a run-in with the law, gets good grades and had never been suspended from school”. That does not sound like a teenager with no structure in his life at all. The Commonwealth’s Attorney at the most recent hearing said that Abdelaal’s current grades show two F’s and two C’s. (** Keep in mind the parents may not have known this because the first report cards of the year have not been issued yet **) She went on to say “There are obviously some things going on that the family is unaware of,“ suggesting that this may not have been something that anyone could have seen coming.
I am sure that all of the parents involved in this case are having a really hard time coping with the situation right now. Please try to step back and consider how each of you would feel is something this tragic happened to your child (as the victim of retaliation for bullying or as the assailant) and you became bombarded with condecending remarks (by people who don’t know anything about you)about how it was all YOUR fault. And if you are the person saying “oh, it won’t happen to my kids” - then you will be proving that you are one of those “not my precious angel” parents that you seem to despise so much.
Its ridiculous that people keep saying LD is a bad school and that Hanover is low income housing etc CDAWG! Obviously you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Why don’t you all grow up and stop playing the blame game on the school and the county.
Face it this student has issues and it is not the schools or the county’s fault it is lack of parental guidance/disipline and possibly getting involved with the wrong group of people.
It is not LD or Hanover County’s responsibility to BABYSIT your kid when he is not on school property for Friday night events. These kids are old enough to know better. Bullying is an issue at every school LD is not the only school in VA that has this going on.
The parents of this student appears to have failed in bringing up their kid the proper way and basically could care less about what their kid does. Well now their kid is more trouble than he ever thought he could be in. I do hope the Courts give him a punishment and not a slap on the wrist. Kids now a days need more discipline from the parents, and most of the kids tell the parents what to do which is wrong. This kid obviously is either from a seperated family and living with one parent or just in all reality could care less who he hurts just as long as he gets his way. Sad really, but its NOT LD OR HANOVER COUNTY’S fault what this kid did to another student.
Individual people are responsible for their lack of effective parenting. It’s not a liberal vs. conservative issue. Parents should be held accountable for raising delinquent, violent, etc children and schools should be held accountable when they fail to address a situation that occurs on school property. I think all too often, parents are coming into the school asking them to fix a problem that is happening within the community. It’s not the school’s job to “fix” the kid who bullies your kid at the mall… go talk to the mall, or better yet, go talk to that kid’s parent yourself.
This incident didn’t happen on school grounds, it’s the police’s job to take care of it, and they did/are. Stop blaming schools for something that has nothing to do with them.
@Jack
You seem to be blaming liberals for eroding personal responsibility and thus creating an atmosphere where one kid can attack another. Do you see the stunning irony in that claim?
1st -CDawg - you also are an idiot b’c of your post below
“posted by CDawg on October 27, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Let’s face it Hanover County low income housing is concentrated in Lee Davis school dist. You figure it out!!!“
2nd - most of us are probably old enough to remember the days of “corporal punishment” for kids right? these problems really didn’t exist then…so..pretty simple…kids screw up, let them pay the price…both by being kicked out of school, arrested and jailed, and/or punished physically so they know what it feels like…
it’s not the school board/teachers…it’s the parents and the lack of authority over their kids…
oh, i can’t smack my kid b/c it is child neglect/endangerment/whatever?...c’mon, give me a break..
yep, i am a parent, and i don’t ‘SMACK’ my kid…b/c i’d be arrested..but i guarantee you she knows my the tone of my voice not to cross that line
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