Police aligning suspects in basketball game stabbing

Police have identified two or three persons of interest in the March 15 stabbing that occurred when a fight broke out following a basketball game between Alton and Carbondale high schools on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville campus.

SIUE Police Chief Gina Hays said the department is in the process of compiling a photo lineup in the hopes of identifying the person that may have stabbed Alton High School student Tommie Taylor. Investigators have spent the weeks following the stabbing in Alton and Carbondale reviewing video footage of the incident with administrators from both schools.

Hays said the persons of interest are from Carbondale but are no longer affiliated with the high school, although they may have been students at one time.

While none of the footage compiled from students at the game shows the actual stabbing, Hays said the video depicts various other skirmishes that broke out after Carbondale's 64-60 victory at the AA supersectional playoff game. Alton school Superintendent Jim Baiter said 10 Alton students were suspended for participating in various fights at the game and two former students have been banned from all of the school's activities for a year.

"We conducted an investigation based on observations as well as viewed video tapes from students that recorded what happened, and based on those observations we felt it was necessary to take action." Baiter said.

Luanne Brown, director of safety and security at Carbondale High School, said as of yet, no Carbondale students have been disciplined for fighting at the game. "When we positively I.D. students from Carbondale that were involved, there will be disciplinary action," Brown said. "But as of now, we have only identified former students that may have been involved."

Taylor, a senior who played running- and defensive back for the Alton High School football team, suffered a puncture wound to his lung. Baiter said Taylor is recovering slowly and will not return to school for several weeks due to his injuries.