A MIDDLE school student died on Saturday from a suspected overdose, according to police.
The 13-year-old boy was hospitalized on Thursday morning after suffering an apparent fentanyl overdose at the Sports and Medical Science Academy in Hartford, Connecticut, police said.
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Hartford police officers were called to the middle school on Thursday after receiving reports that the boy, who was in seventh grade, was unconscious and that there was evidence of drugs involved.
The student, whose name has not yet been released because of his age, reportedly collapsed and had to be revived with CPR.
Police said that two other boys complained of dizziness and were also transported to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where they were later released.
Police believe the three minors came into contact with the drug at the same time, but it’s unclear if they ingested it.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement that the boy apparently overdosed on the opioid fentanyl while in school, but that authorities don’t know how he had access to the drug.
“We still have much to learn about the circumstances of this tragedy, and about how a child had access to such a shocking quantity of such deadly drugs, and our police department will continue their investigation and seek to hold accountable the adults who ultimately are responsible for this child’s death,” Bronin said.
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On Thursday, the school was placed on soft lockdown as the Drug Enforcement Agency and drug-sniffing dogs searched the premises for any additional substances.
The evacuated students went through a decontamination process later when leaving the school. The school closed on Friday and canceled classes.
Authorities found a powder-like substance in the school’s gym and initially identified it as the opioid fentanyl.
“It appears that the drug was brought to the school by a student,” Bronin said. “There were multiple additional bags of what we believe was fentanyl found around the school.”
The Hartford Courant reported that the search turned up around 40 bags of fentanyl in two different classrooms and the gym.
The bags of the drug were collected by the DEA and tested at their lab, according to police spokesperson Lt Aaron Boisvert.
The drug was found to be fentanyl, which confirmed earlier on-scene tests.
FENTANYL FACTS
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s approved for treating severe pain, usually advanced cancer pain.
Fentanyl is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the DEA.
According to the CDC, overdose deaths involving fentanyl are on the rise.
“It is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product – with or without the user’s knowledge – to increase its euphoric effects.”
However, the bags found at the magnet school only contained fentanyl in powder form, and not other drugs, according to Boisvert.
Police said that the 13-year-old died shortly after 5.30pm on Saturday evening.
No arrests have been made so far and the investigation is still ongoing, authorities say.
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What is Fentanyl? The drug nicknamed ‘Drop Dead’
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