A student at a Pittsburgh-area high school stabbed 21 people on Wednesday, running through the hallways indiscriminately stabbing and slashing.

Student’s Stabbing Rampage At PA High School

Of the 21 people the 16-year-old student sent to nearby hospitals, nine of them are listed in critical condition, reported the Chicago Tribune. In the rampage that stretched through hallways and a number of classrooms, the student made contact with his victims’ torsos, arms and faces

The student, an unidentified sophomore at Franklin Regional High School, is in police custody, according to Murrysville, Penn., chief of police Tom Seefeld. An armed security officer at the school had neutralized and arrested the culprit at the scene.

"I saw a girl with blood running out of her sleeve," Zak Amsler, 17, said of the chaos. "It was pretty mind-blowing."

PA Governor Tom Corbett

In addition to local law enforcement, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has also put the state police on task to investigate the stabbing. The FBI has also become involved in the mass attack. Corbett, a parent and grandparent as well as a politician, expressed his sorrow at the situation in a statement.

“I was shocked and saddened upon learning of the events that occurred this morning as students arrived at Franklin Regional High School,” Corbett said in a statement. “As a parent and grandparent, I can think of nothing more distressing than senseless violence against children. My heart and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.”

“I have directed the Pennsylvania State Police to assist local law enforcement in its investigation in any way possible,” he added. “Other state resources will be made available to the community, if needed. I assure the citizens of Murrysville that they have the full support of my administration.”

– Chelsea Regan