Overview
- A classmate alerted a teacher and a bag check on Thursday morning found a 13-centimeter kitchen knife inside a second-grader’s backpack, after which the school called the child’s parents and emergency responders.
- The Carabinieri are conducting criminal inquiries coordinated by the Procura per i minorenni di Lecce and municipal social services have been activated to assess the child’s welfare and family situation.
- Preliminary accounts by reporters indicate the child may have been pushed or convinced by a peer after a prior dispute, a theory that investigators and juvenile magistrates are still verifying.
- The child’s parents told investigators they were unaware of the knife and are reported to be in shock, and Trepuzzi mayor Giuseppe Maria Taurino issued a public appeal for calm and prudence.
- The case comes as other recent knife incidents in Italian schools have raised safety concerns and may lead local authorities and schools to review entry checks and anti-bullying measures.