Opening remarks at New Rochelle High School, where an at-capacity crowd turned out for a public meeting Tuesday to discuss the spate of violence, which included a fatal stabbing, that has taken place in the high school community in recent weeks. Seth Harrison/lohud
NEW ROCHELLE - Family and friends of the Schwab family spoke publicly for the first time since 16-year-old Valaree Schwab died after she was allegedly stabbed by a peer near the city high school they attended.
Monica Furrelle, the teen's aunt, told the crowd of more than 1,000 community members to continuing speaking up at the public forum Tuesday night at New Rochelle High School where school security was the focal point.
Schwab's alleged killer, 16-year-old Z'inah Brown, fled the scene with a group of teens, then turned herself into police the next day. She was charged with second-degree murder.
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Two other violent attacks involving New Rochelle High School students occurred about a week after Schwab's Jan. 10 death at a Dunkin' Donuts, less than a quarter of a mile near the school's campus.
"Valaree is not here tonight to have a voice, but I am here for her and I am hoping that all of you as well can continue to have a voice for Valaree and for all the students in this school," she said. "There needs to be changes, we can’t be rash, we need to be civil. But we need the communication to take place, we can’t allow this to just be something that goes away."
Kevin McEwan, who said he was a personal friend of the Schwab family, said law enforcement and other officials have not yet gathered an "accurate account" of how Schwab died, but elaborated on what he and family members have gathered so far.
The attack started in a McDonald's close on North Avenue, close to the high school, where McEwan said Schwab was "slammed to the ground" by a group of five males and two females and her property was stolen. This proceeded down the street until Schwab went into a Subway sandwich shop, he said.
"She was chased, stalked to the Subway sandwich station," he said. "She ran in there for protection. After being in there for about a half hour, and the gang looked like they weren’t there," she left and was attacked again at the coffee store where she was fatally stabbed in the heart and lung, McEwan said.
Cards from Schwab's memorial service with pictures and memories of the teen circulated at the high school auditorium during Tuesday's meeting.