Mother of 17-year-old who died after stabbing in Schenley Park shares her tragic experience

PITTSBURGH — A community is in mourning after a 17-year-old rising senior at Carrick High School was stabbed to death early Thursday morning.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> 17-year-old dead after stabbing in Schenley Park

Police and paramedics found Brandon Thomas under the bridge by Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park. He’d been stabbed in the chest.

“I was just told that he was at a party. A fight broke out and he was trying to break up the fight,” Brandon’s mother Shatera Linnen told Channel 11.

Pitt Police say there were teenagers at the stabbing scene and evidence of a party. Video provided to WPXI shows the area littered with empty alcohol bottles and containers.

Linnen tells Channel 11 she received a phone call early Thursday morning from a family member of one of her son’s friends.

“Is there any way that I can get over to Presbyterian Hospital? I was asking them what was going on. They didn’t tell me anything. They just said I needed to get there,” Linnen said.

When she arrived, Brandon was still in surgery.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on. I lost my oldest child last year, too; my dad a week after that. Now, this,” Linnen said.

Pittsburgh Public Schools released a statement that said, “The District is mourning the loss of Brandon [...] Our thoughts are with his family during this time.”

“Brandon was a good kid. He didn’t bother nobody. He didn’t start trouble. He was all around a good person.”

He leaves behind a twin sister.

Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Brandon’s family. You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/brandon-e-thomas-beautiful-kindcourageous.

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