Alex Hribal: School Stabbing Suspect Described As Quiet, Well-Liked

Alex Hribal was described as a quiet but well-liked boy, but police said something snapped on Wednesday and caused the 16-year-old to go on a stabbing spree at his Pennsylvania school that left dozens injured.

Police said Hribal went on a rampage inside his Murrysville, Pennsylvania, stabbing or slashing 20 students and a security officer. They have still not announced a motive in the attack, but those who know Hribal have stepped forward to describe him as a quiet student.

“He’s a typical young kid. He’s a B+ student. The family is like Ozzie and Harriet. They have dinner together every night,” said his attorney, Patrick Thomassey.

Thomassey added that even the boy’s parents were shocked by the incident.

“They (his parents) offer their condolences to everybody involved in this case. They’re very upset. They did not foresee this coming at all,” the attorney said. “This is a nice young man. He’s never been in trouble.”

Other students said Alex Hribal showed no signs of a violent nature in his past, but looked devoid of emotion during Wednesday’s attack.

“He (Hribal) was very quiet. He just was kind of doing it,” said Mia Meixner, a student at Franklin Regional Senior High School. “And he had this, like, look on his face that he was just crazy and he was just running around just stabbing whoever was in his way.”

Determining the motive appears difficult. Police said Alex Hribal has given no indications, and has little to no presence on Facebook or Twitter. They don’t think he even owns a cell phone.

Police have charged Alex Hribal with four counts of attempted homicide and 21 counts of aggravated assault for the school stabbing attack. Authorities said he will be tried as an adult.