Maryvale High School student dies from stabbing
Phoenix police said the school was not under active threat and students were allowed to leave the premises after a deadly stabbing Aug. 19, 2025.
- A stabbing at Maryvale High School in Phoenix resulted in the death of one student and injuries to another.
- The incident occurred about 11 a.m. Aug. 19 and began as a fight in a classroom, police said.
- Phoenix police asked anyone with video footage of the incident to upload it via a QR code provided on their social media accounts.
A student died and another was injured during a stabbing on Maryvale High School grounds, according to Phoenix police.
Police said on social media that about 11 a.m. Aug. 19, officers were dispatched to Maryvale High School, at the northwest corner of 59th Avenue and Osborn Road, for reports of a stabbing. Police said the stabbing started as a fight.
A Phoenix police officer who was working as a school safety officer for the high school was alerted by staff that an assault had happened in one of the classrooms, police said. The officer detained one of the students involved at the administration building, according to police.
A second student was found to be suffering from multiple stab wounds and was treated at the scene, police said. He was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries, according to police.
Neither student, both males, had been identified as of 6 p.m.
Police said the school was deemed safe after the stabbing.
Police declined to take questions at a news conference but did ask for cell phone footage that might be helpful to the investigation. Anyone with video of the stabbing or anything leading up to the incident was asked by police to upload it using a QR code provided on the department’s account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and on Facebook.
A spokesperson for Maryvale High School and the Phoenix Union High School District did not immediately respond to requests for more information about the incident.
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Students’ families react to violence on campus
Claudia Aguilar said her daughter, 15, was a witness to the stabbing, and she remained behind to speak to police, long after many students were released.
“She’s in shock. She can’t believe what happened,” Aguilar said of her daughter.
When Aguilar spoke to The Arizona Republic about 2 p.m., she said she had been waiting about three hours for her daughter.
A graduate of Maryvale High School in 2003, Aguilar said she had never seen violence like this at the school.
“I didn’t live through this growing up,” Aguilar said.
District, police address fatal stabbing at Maryvale High in Phoenix
School district and police officials address a fatal stabbing at Maryvale High School in Phoenix on Aug. 19, 2025.
Jose Hernandez spoke with The Republic moments after he was reunited with his little brother, a 16-year-old student at the school.
“He’s OK,” Hernandez said of his brother, who was eager to leave the school property. “They’re here to learn, not hurt each other.”
Hernandez lived in the neighborhood surrounding Maryvale High School for the past 15 years and attended the school.
“It wasn’t as crazy back then, you know what I mean? But times have changed,” Hernandez said.
The incident could have likely been stopped, with either better support for students or an adult who could have prevented the incident altogether, Hernandez said.
Officials speak out on deadly incident
Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Thea Andrade said at a news conference she would cooperate with a law enforcement investigation, adding that she was grieving along with the victim’s mother and sibling.
The school is in District Five, represented by Phoenix City Councilmember Betty Guardado. During the news conference set up across from the campus and also attended by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Guardado said she lives five minutes from the school.
“As a mom of two young boys, I have a son who is now a freshman in high school, and we drop off our kids every day at school, thinking that we’re going to pick them up and bring them home,” Guardado said. “Our community stands united in support, and I am committed to working with the school district, community and Phoenix police to ensure their safety.”
“We’re working as hard as we can to make sure that schools are as safe as possible,” Gallego said at the news conference.
(This story has been updated to add more information and a video.)
Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.