Last Updated on November 30, 2023
The father of the Raleigh, North Carolina high school student arrested and charged with murder for a double stabbing in the middle of an in-school fight has taken to Facebook to defend the alleged actions of his son, claiming that the stabbings were justified as his son acted to save his own life.
Tyquan General Jr. was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the caught-on-camera stabbing of two fellow students at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School: A 15-year-old boy who died of his wounds and a 16-year-old who was injured but survived.
The stabbing took place in the middle of a multi-person fight that spread from a hallway into the school gym and video footage shows that it included a group of attackers stomping on General Jr. after he was forced to the ground. It was then, that a knife was produced and two individuals were stabbed repeatedly.
Watch the video footage below:
The moment a deadly fight breaks out at the Raleigh Magnet High School in Raleigh, NC on Monday.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 28, 2023
Though General Jr., who is only 14 years old, is currently charged as a juvenile (but will likely stand trial as an adult), his identity was released by his own family, who has spoken with local media and taken to Facebook to assert that he acted in self-defense.
General Jr.’s mother, Cherelle McLaughlin, even told Raleigh’s WRAL News that she tried to warn the school “that something may happen” the very morning of the deadly fight, and says that she informed the school that “boys may threaten to jump” Tyquan, who she says was being bullied.
McLaughlin also says that she doesn’t believe her son brought the knife (obviously banned on school grounds) used in the deadly double stabbing to school himself, telling WRAL that she believes “he got the knife from somebody in the school because he did not go to school with a knife.”
” I dropped him off at school, he did not go to school with it,” McLaughlin said.
In a Facebook post written by Tyquan Jr.’s father, Tyquan General Sr., the father defended his son’s actions and claimed that the video footage included above proves that he was not only acting in self-defense but trying to retreat from his attackers when he ran out of options.
“Put urself in to MY SON shoes,” wrote General Sr. “WAT WOULD U DO???”
“This sh*it hurts my heart because don’t no one want to burry their child but if my son did not protect his self me and my wife could have been the one to receive the one call that kan hurt any parents soul.”
“So again, America, wat would u have wanted ur son to do??” he asked.
“If u watch the video in order u will see that he was retreating and even after he was hit…he still was trying to back up,” General Sr. wrote.
Read the full Facebook post from Tyquan General Sr. below:
Notably, the stabbing death at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School and subsequent self-defense claim from the General family just weeks after a Las Vegas, Nevada high school student was beaten to death by a mob of his peers just outside of his school.
Similar to the beating of Tyquan General Jr., the fatal beating of Jonathan Lewis was filmed and involved multiple assailants forcing him to the ground before repeatedly stomping his head and body, beating him unconscious, and sending him to the hospital, where he later died.
Read More: 9 Suspects Arrested in Beating Death of White Las Vegas High Schooler