WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office and Caln Township Police announced the arrest of 16-year-old Oddell Cannon of Coatesville for stabbing another student at Coatesville Area Senior High School (CASH) on May 24, 2022. Cannon was charged as an adult with attempted murder of the first degree, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon on school property, possessing instruments of crime, and related charges. He is held at the Chester County Youth Center on $750,000 bail set by Judge John Bailey.
“[Tuesday] was a horrific day for school students and their families,” said Deb Ryan, Chester County District Attorney. “Not long after Oddell Cannon violently stabbed a classmate at CASH, another young man wreaked horror on a school in Texas. This must end. And it must end now. Parents should never have to worry when they send their children to school. Children should feel safe and protected while inside school walls.
“My office will hold Oddell Cannon responsible for his actions to the fullest extent of the law. We will not tolerate school violence. It is our duty – and society’s duty – to protect children, especially when they are in school.”
The allegations in the complaint are:
Caln Township Police were called to CASH on May 24, 2022, at 7:25 a.m., for the report of a stabbing that occurred in a second-floor bathroom. When police arrived, they found the 16-year-old victim with multiple stab wounds to the neck, shoulder, armpit, and lower back. Cannon had fled the school.
The victim was transported to Paoli Hospital, where he is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.
A witness told investigators that the victim believed Cannon had stolen a vape cigarette cartridge from him and wanted to fight. The witness stated that Cannon and victim met in a second-floor bathroom to fight, but a teacher came into the bathroom and dispersed the crowd.
The witness told detectives that the group of students, including Cannon and the victim, moved to another bathroom on the second floor. The witness said the two went into a bathroom stall and started to fight.
Another witness stated that he observed the victim bleeding from an area near his neck and heard the victim say, “Bro, he stabbed me.”
Investigators found a large amount of blood in the bathroom where the stabbing occurred. A witness observed Cannon had a bleeding hand.
A knife covered in blood was also recovered at the school. A video of the fight was posted on social media, and Cannon is seen stabbing the victim multiple times with an item gripped in his right hand.
Cannon turned himself in to the police later in the day, on May 24.
Caln Township Police and Chester County Detectives are investigating. Senior Deputy District Attorney Carlos Barraza is the assigned prosecutor. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 1, 2022.
If you have information about this case, call Caln Police Det. Steven Parkinson at 610-383-1821.
Information is subject to change at any time. Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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