A 12-year-old Walton Middle School student has been formally charged with attempted murder for Tuesday’s stabbing attack at the school, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

• The suspect also faces two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, wearing a mask during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence and disrupting a school function, according to the sheriff’s office. He is being held with no bond in secure juvenile detention in Crestview.

Both student victims remained in intensive care as of Wednesday afternoon after undergoing medical procedures, Sheriff Michael Adkinson said during a press conference. The paraprofessional who was also injured has been treated and released.

Adkinson said the investigation has found no connection between the suspect and the three victims.

“There is no relationship between the victims and the suspect,” Adkinson said. “As far as we understand, this is a completely random set of victims.”

The sheriff provided additional details about the attack during the press conference. The suspect was dropped off by his mother at approximately 7:16 a.m. during routine early drop-off. He walked directly to a bathroom, spent approximately two to two and a half minutes inside, and emerged wearing a balaclava (mask).

The school’s School Resource Deputy and school guardian were both on campus at the time but were not in the area where the attack occurred, as it was during drop-off time before the school had officially opened, Adkinson said. The SRD immediately responded and notified school staff, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect reportedly attacked the first student he encountered, stabbing the victim multiple times with a kitchen knife he had brought from home, Adkinson said. A paraprofessional stepped out of a classroom, saw the two and said something, and was attacked next. The suspect continued down the hallway and attacked a third victim, also a student.

• Only 15 to 20 students were in the area where the attack took place, Adkinson said.

After the initial attack, the first victim attempted to flee and was being helped by a school staff member. The suspect reportedly walked up to them but did not reengage before fleeing the school at approximately 7:21 a.m., Adkinson said.

The suspect was detained about two blocks from the school at approximately 7:28 a.m. by DeFuniak Springs Police Department officers and Walton County Sheriff’s Office personnel. A knife was found in a retention pond nearby, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Adkinson said the entire incident was captured on school video. He said the footage should never be made public outside of a courtroom.

Walton County Fire Rescue provided immediate medical care to all three victims on scene. One student was transported by AirHeart 2 to a hospital in Pensacola. The second student and the paraprofessional were transported by Walton County Fire Rescue to HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, a level two trauma center.

The suspect had been suspended from the school about a month ago, though Adkinson said it was unrelated to the attack. He declined to discuss a possible motive, saying the investigation is ongoing.

State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said her office will review the case once the investigation is complete. While the charges are currently in the juvenile system, Bowden Madden said the case could be presented to a grand jury for possible indictment as an adult.

• “Any charges outside of juvenile charges must be determined by a grand jury indictment,” Bowden Madden said. “Once we have an opportunity to look at all of the facts and to look at the laws as it applies to an individual of this age, decisions will be made.”

Bowden Madden also spoke to the broader impact of the attack.

“A random act of violence like this in our public school system does nothing but incite terror and fear in everyone that goes to school there and everyone in the public school system,” Bowden Madden said.

Walton County School District Superintendent Russell Hughes said Walton Middle School reopened Wednesday with approximately 41% of students in attendance. Additional counselors and law enforcement were on campus.

Hughes said the decision to reopen was driven by the need to provide students with a supportive environment rather than leaving them to process the events alone.

• “We didn’t want 500 or 800 students sitting at home all day alone thinking about what happened,” Hughes said. “Some of those students don’t have food unless they come to our school. Where are they going?”

Hughes said students need access to adults who can help them work through what happened, and that the school also provides outlets through extracurricular activities. He noted that only about 40 students actually witnessed the incident, and the majority learned about it secondhand.

“I made the decision to make sure children were back into my care at Walton County School District, teachers, staff, law enforcement, and support staff that could provide everything a child would need under these circumstances,” Hughes said.

Bowden Madden said she supported the decision.

• “I think one of the most important things that parents and the community need to show these children is that we have confidence in school safety, that we have confidence in our school system,” Bowden Madden said. “Children are going to recover most rapidly and most fully. They’ll follow the lead of the adults they’re surrounded by.”

Hughes said there were no indicators before the attack that anything was about to occur. The student was dropped off and greeted by the principal and assistant principal like any other day, he said.

When asked about additional safety measures such as metal detectors, Adkinson acknowledged the conversations would take place with the school district but noted the limits of prevention.

“This same individual could have just got out of the car, never entered the school,” Adkinson said. “That’s the challenge, is making an institution as safe as you can, but still make it conducive for a child for learning.”

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active and additional information will be released as it becomes available.