Mothers worry about traumatized students after deadly school stabbing at SE Raleigh Magnet HS

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Coddie McLawhorn has two sons at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School.

"My boys don't even want to go back to the school," said McLawhorn.

She said one of her sons and the stabbing victim who died, 15-year-old Delvin Ferrell, had been friends since sixth grade.

"He was right there when it happened. That's a hurtful thing to watch your friend die," she added.

McLawhorn and other mothers are now connected through tragedy with shared concerns about school safety. All of it comes after a physical fight in the school hallway on Monday morning, which escalated quickly turning into a deadly stabbing in the school gym.

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"Southeast Raleigh gym where I just watched my son play a basketball game is never going to be the same," said Missy Wright, another concerned parent from the community. "I was devastated. I'm still devastated."

Wright is grateful that the 16-year-old stabbed in the leg three times survived the attack but heartbroken that Delvin lost his life, and a 14-year-old is charged with murder.

"Kids are babies. Nobody is waking up to say, I'm going to go kill somebody today. I don't think we raise the monsters or animals," she said.

Now, three families are directly affected and hundreds more reeling from the emotional toll it's taking on the students and friends.

"It's a lot of trauma. They are very hurt, behind something that could have been avoided. They're very hurt," said Wright.

There are still so many questions.

"It was so many kids standing around. How do you not go see what's going on? Where was where was everybody when this occurred?" asked McLawhorn.

Still, McLawhorn and Wright are worried about the tomorrows when school doors reopen, and life goes on.

"If you don't have the right people in place, don't open that school door," Wright said.