Teacher who stopped Turlock High stabbing only worried for ‘students and their safety’
A 20-year school veteran and psychology teacher at Turlock High was the first to step in and stop a knife attack on campus that left a student with life-threatening injuries.
The violent incident between two male students on campus resulted in one of the students being airlifted to a Modesto hospital and the other arrested on scene without further incident or injury.
Videos of the altercation viewed by The Bee show the two students fighting, then nearby students realizing one of the teens had a knife and was stabbing the other who can be seen with visible wounds.
Clip shows Turlock High teacher Ryan Tribble quickly but calmly walking up to the student with the knife, raising his hands and then appearing to say, “Hey, hey, hey — look, it’s me.”
He continues to talk with the student and then places both hands on his shoulders before the videos stop. The student responded to Tribble by looking at his hands and then dropping his head.
In an email statement about the incident sent to The Bee, Tribble said, “(F)irst and foremost, my heart is heavy for those young men and their families. I am asking myself, did I do anything another teacher would not have done? My only concern in that moment was for the students and their safety.”
Turlock Police reported that after Tribble confronted the student, the School Resource Officer arrived on scene to arrest and detain the suspect. Neither the suspect nor the victim’s names are being released because they are juveniles, but students told The Bee they are both seniors.
The victim’s condition was updated as stable Friday afternoon.
Turlock Unified spokesperson Marie Russell issued a statement about the stabbing which said, “We were shaken by the alarming news of the assault at Turlock High School today. We are very thankful for the swift action by a THS staff member who intervened on behalf of the victim to prevent further injury.”
Tribble graduated from California State University, Chico, in 2000 as a psychology major. He went to work at Turlock High in 2001 as a substitute, and then went full-time starting in 2004. He has taught psychology and guitar, according to a 2007 profile of him in The Bee for a weekly feature called “Class Act” that spotlighted “outstanding teachers in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and foothills.”
In February 2017 Tribble was named Turlock High’s Employee of the Month and staff praised him for his self confidence and positivity in a Facebook post.
The post read in part, “He treats everyone with kindness and respect and does not worry about what others think about him, he just tries to do what is best for students and people. I have seen the impact he has on our students and the confidence he gives them. He is a special person.”
In his statement about the violent incident to The Bee, Tribble quotes both Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi about the importance of teaching good character and finding unity in diversity. He said the only way to achieve both is by imparting those lessons at home and in the classroom.
“My purpose in the classroom has always been to teach love, compassion, kindness, and understanding through the lens of psychology,” Tribble wrote. “Those of us who dedicate our lives to teaching, understand that (it) goes beyond our subject. In our community, what we say and how we say it matters. So what do the kids see? What do they hear? Do they witness anger, hate, fear, and division? Or, is the message acceptance, kindness, gratitude, and love for everyone?”
Turlock Unified issued a statement Friday saying counselors and clinicians are available to students who may be struggling after the violent incident on campus. The school was on lockdown for 90 minutes, and afterward some parents came to pick up their children.
Tribble encouraged those who were feeling traumatized by the event to seek help.
“To all the students, if you are struggling, falling on hard times, sad, lonely, depressed, reach out! Especially on our campuses. There are people that care who are willing to help and guide you,” he wrote. “I appreciate everyone in the TUSD family and the community for their kindness and support.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 12:35 PM.
