Walton Middle School stabbing: Walton County Sheriff provides latest information
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson provides an update on the March 24, 2026 Walton Middle School stabbing in Defuniak Springs.
Provided by Walton County Sheriff’s Office
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A seventh-grader was taken into custody after allegedly stabbing two other students and a staff member at a Florida middle school on Tuesday, March 24, authorities said.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred at approximately 7:17 a.m. local time during an early morning dismissal at Walton Middle School in Defuniak Springs, Florida. Defuniak Springs is a small city located in the Florida Panhandle, approximately 190 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida.
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said the school was not yet open for the day and there were about 40 students in the building at the time of the attack. The sheriff’s office said they received a report of a stabbing at the school around 7:22 a.m., and by 7:30 a.m. the suspect, identified as a student, was in custody a block away from the school.
The sheriff’s office added that a school resource deputy was already stationed at the school, and additional patrol deputies and officers from the Defuniak Springs Police Department responded to the scene.
Two students were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, Adkinson said. The staff member, a paraprofessional, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Our top priorities, along with the Walton County School District, were to ensure the safety of our students and staff, control the situation, and provide parents with accurate information regarding reunification,” Adkinson said in a statement.
Officials: Victim received ‘immediate life-saving assistance’
Adkinson said at a March 24 press conference that the attack occurred after the suspect, whose name has not been released, was dropped off at the entrance to the school. The student entered a bathroom in the hallway and came out less than three minutes later wearing a mask and carrying a “sharp instrument,” the sheriff said.
He then suddenly attacked his classmate and stabbed the victim multiple times, Adkinson said. The victim fled and the suspect ran into the hallway and attacked the paraprofessional.
After stabbing the staff member, the suspect allegedly continued running down the hallway and attacked another student, Adkinson said. The suspect fled the scene and was later taken into custody “at a fairly short distance,” the sheriff’s office said.
The two seriously injured students received “immediate life-saving measures,” the sheriff’s office said. All students who participated were in the 7th grade and were between 12 and 13 years old.
One victim was taken to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, with a life-threatening injury, and the other was taken to Fort Walton Destin Hospital, a Level 2 trauma center. A third paraprofessional was also taken to Fort Walton Destin Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Adkinson said.
Adkinson noted that the attack happened “very quickly” and the suspect was taken into custody within about seven minutes. The sheriff added that all three stabbings happened within about 45 seconds.
“At this time there is no further risk to the public. This individual is in custody,” Adkinson said. “He is being interviewed by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. We will determine what charges are appropriate and the final decision will be made by the State Attorney’s Office.”
The sheriff’s office declined to discuss a motive for the attack or provide further information about the suspect. The investigation into this incident is still ongoing.
Florida middle schools plan to reopen to ‘return to normalcy’
The Walton County School District said in a statement on Facebook that it is working with the sheriff’s office and Defuniak Springs Police Department in response to the incident at the middle school. Classes at the junior high school were canceled for the day.
The school district asked parents of middle school students to keep their children at home. Adkinson said many students were still on the school bus at the time of the attack and were transferred to a reunion location.
Walton County Schools Superintendent Russell Hughes later released a video statement about the incident, saying the attack occurred on the first day of school after spring break.
“The student greeted the administrator, as he did every day, and then he came out and attacked two students and one adult,” the superintendent said. “We would first like to express our heart and concern to the two students who were seriously injured and the adult who was seriously injured. How difficult it would be for a student to have to report something like this to fellow students and paraprofessionals.”
Hughes added that the incident occurred for a total of about three minutes before the suspect fled through the back door of the school. He said most students did not witness the attack and that the paraprofessionals “put themselves at risk to ensure the safety of students.”
The superintendent said schools will reopen on March 25 “to get back to normal as quickly as possible.” Hughes said absences will be excused for families who choose to keep their students home for the day, and additional counselors and mental health support will be available at the school.
