17-year-old dies after being stabbed in afterschool brawl near Milpitas High School
By Tim Fang
A teenager has died, and another teen has been arrested on a homicide charge following a fight near Milpitas High School on Tuesday afternoon.
According to police, officers received multiple reports of a fight involving several teens on the 200 block of Vienna Drive, just west of the campus. Police arrived at the scene in less than three minutes.
Responding officers located a 17-year-old male victim with apparent stab wounds. Officers immediately rendered aid, followed by emergency medical personnel. The teen, identified by his family members as Jarred Cavan, was taken to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Police said a second 16-year-old victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Cavan’s family said the second victim was his girlfriend, who was treated at a hospital and released.
Officers located a 17-year-old male suspect at the scene and took him into custody without incident. The suspect, whose name is not being released due to his age, was booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on charges of homicide and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to his family, Cavan was a former Milpitas High student who had transferred to nearby Calaveras Hills High School; they don’t know why he was at the Milpitas High campus. His family also said that following a few incidents during his freshman year, Cavan was headed in the right direction and had plans to go to college.
“My brother just called me, and he was, like, ‘Go over there,’ because I worked down the street and I didn’t know what was going on, and I just heard sirens, and I was, like, I already knew something bad was happening,” said Cavan’s aunt, Joanna Cavan. “You know, he stayed out of trouble for a while now… [he was] a really, really good kid. Ready to graduate in June. My brother even bought him a car already.”
It was not known what led to the fighting near the school and the fatal stabbing. The Milpitas Unified School District declined to provide a statement on the incident.
On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial to Cavan was growing at the site of the stabbing near the corner of Vienna and Knollville Drive. His family had plans to hold a prayer vigil at the location on Wednesday afternoon.
Police asked anyone with additional information about the incident to contact the department at 408-586-2400. Anonymous tips can be sent to 408-586-2500 or through the city’s website.
