By Dan Israeli
Just before 4 p.m. last Wednesday, in the Young Adult section of the library, Kiara Bryant, 17, of Elmont, stabbed an 18-year-old woman in the back with a folding pocket knife, according to a police report. The victim, who was not identified, went outside and then came back inside the building, said library director John Bosco, and was then aided by a nurse who happened to be at the library, while the police were called. The victim was transported to Winthrop Hospital in Mineola.
"She was a tremendous heroine," Bosco said of the nurse, whom he said he did not know. "She stopped the bleeding, which might have saved the woman from more injury." Bosco added that he thought the fight started as an argument over the use of a computer. "I don't think it was anything substantive," he said. "It happened so quickly, it was difficult to determine."
Bryant was arrested a short time after the incident at her home on Louis Avenue in Elmont, according to the police report, and charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree possession of a dangerous weapon. She was arraigned by Judge Norman Janowitz on March 27 at First District Court in Hempstead, where bail was set at $25,000 bond or $10,000 cash.
In a phone interview the day after the incident, Bosco acknowledged that the library would have to review its security and response time. That night, the library board was scheduled to hold its regular meeting, and Bosco said that trustees would examine safety measures during their executive session. "The board will look to discuss increased uniform and nonuniform security," Bosco said before the meeting. "We are reviewing a lot of procedures and employees' response methods." He added that there has also been discussion about installing metal detectors at the building's entrance.
Asked after the meeting about the trustees' discussions, Bosco said that because of the pending criminal investigation, he could not comment further.
Warren Meierdiercks, superintendent of the Sewanhaka Central High School District, said that both Bryant and the victim are Sewanhaka High School students, and that the injured girl had been released from the hospital. "She has returned to school," Meierdiercks said. "It was an unfortunate incident. We don't have all the details just yet." As for Bryant's status at the school, Meierdiercks said that the district would make a determination after she has gone through the legal process.
Comments about this story? DIsraeli@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
