A vigil for 17-year-old Jarred Cavan followed new accounts of the after-school attack near Milpitas High School.
MILPITAS, Calif. — A 17-year-old girl said she was wounded while trying to protect her boyfriend during a fight near Milpitas High School, where police say 17-year-old Jarred Cavan was stabbed and later died after an after-school confrontation on Tuesday.
The case has shaken families in Milpitas and drawn renewed attention to how quickly a school day can spill into deadly violence just off campus. Police say another 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene and booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of homicide and assault with a deadly weapon, while classmates, relatives and school officials tried Wednesday to make sense of Cavan’s death.
Cavan’s girlfriend, identified by KTVU as Raya, spoke publicly a day after the stabbing as friends and relatives gathered for a vigil on Vienna Drive, about a block from Milpitas High School. She said the confrontation began shortly after classes let out Tuesday and described being overwhelmed as the violence grew. “They outnumbered us, and there was too many of them,” Raya said. She said people hit her and shoved the couple into each other as they fell to the ground. Raya said she was stabbed in the hand while trying to shield Cavan, and on Wednesday she appeared with her injury wrapped in gauze. She said she tried to keep him alive after he was wounded, but the attacker then turned toward her.
Police said officers were dispatched at about 3:50 p.m. after receiving multiple reports of a fight involving several juveniles in the 200 block of Vienna Drive, next to the school. When officers arrived, they found Cavan with stab wounds and began first aid before medics took over. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said the suspect, also 17, remained at the scene and was taken into custody without incident. Police have not publicly named the suspect because he is a juvenile. Investigators have not released a motive, and one major point remains unsettled in public accounts: some witnesses described a group fight involving around 10 teens, while Raya said she and Cavan were effectively alone against others. Police have asked anyone who saw what happened to come forward.
The death has hit hard because of where it happened and who it involved. Family members and friends said Cavan was from Milpitas and was preparing to graduate from Calaveras Hills High School in June. Relatives said he had plans for college and was known as a warm, family-centered teen. The location also added to the shock. Vienna Drive runs along the area next to Milpitas High School, a place crowded with students and traffic in the minutes after dismissal. According to reports from local television outlets, at least one teacher driving by tried to stop the fight but could not control it. By Wednesday evening, the street had become a memorial site filled with candles, flowers and handwritten messages, turning a stretch of pavement into a place of mourning.
School officials and police were left dealing with both the criminal case and the emotional fallout. The Milpitas Unified School District said it would provide support resources for students affected by the stabbing and issued a statement expressing sympathy. Police have said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the broader public, but investigators are still piecing together how the fight started, who took part and what led to the stabbing. Because the suspect is a juvenile, the next court steps may unfold largely outside public view. Authorities have not said whether any additional arrests are expected or whether surveillance video or cellphone footage has clarified the sequence of events. For now, the case remains at an early stage, with detectives still seeking witness statements and other evidence.
The vigil Wednesday carried both grief and anger. Family members hugged, cried and wrote notes on balloons before releasing them into the evening sky. One message read, “Long live Jarred.” Cavan’s great-uncle, Alberto Bailli, said relatives had already heard calls for forgiveness, but he said the pain was still too fresh. He said he could not forgive “right now” because of the memories the family had built with the teenager and the suddenness of the loss. Those gathered spoke in the language of birthdays, school milestones and ordinary moments now cut short. Their remarks gave the case a shape beyond police lines and booking records, casting it as a loss felt across a family, a circle of friends and a school community just beginning to absorb what happened.
The investigation remained active Thursday, with the juvenile suspect in custody, police still requesting witnesses and the community waiting for the next formal update in the case.
Author note: Last updated April 2, 2026.