Fentanyl suspected in death of 16-year-old at Alabama school, officials say. ‘A shock’
A group of students possibly ingested a fentanyl-laced substance before a 16-year-old fell ill and died, according to authorities in Alabama.
The incident occurred at Selma High School on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and landed four students in the hospital, the Associated Press reported, citing county prosecutors.
Investigators are awaiting autopsy and toxicology results for the deceased student, who was not named.
“I don’t know what these kids took,’’ Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson told AL.com. “They were sick enough to go to the emergency room. It doesn’t take much.”
Authorities were called after the 16-year-old was found unresponsive in the school’s cafeteria, according to the news outlet. He was rushed to a hospital and died a short time later.
The other students received emergency care at a hospital and are expected to be OK, WBMA reported.
Selma City Schools Superintendent Zickeyous Byrd said the teen’s death was “a shock” to the community.
“As a community, we are deeply saddened by the death of this young scholar,” Byrd said in a statement. “We ask for prayers for the young man’s family, the faculty, staff and students of Selma High School as we all continue to grieve.”
Selma Mayor James Perkins, Jr. also also released a statement, saying the teen’s death “is close to me.”
“To the family, schoolmates and friends of the deceased, know that your mayor has a heavy heart and grieves with you,” Perkins wrote. “... I considered him a son.”
The incident remains under investigation.
Selma is about 50 miles west of Montgomery.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Fentanyl suspected in death of 16-year-old at Alabama school, officials say. ‘A shock’."