Murdered : Keshawn Brooks , 15 , was stabbed to death on his way home from school . A 15-year-old boy walking home from school was stabbed to death for his backpack , California authorities said . Keshawn Brooks was jumped and stabbed several times as he struggled with his assailant for his bag Thursday afternoon outside Stephens Middle School in Long Beach , police said . The suspect ran off but was later arrested . Brooks , a freshman at nearby Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School , was given first aid by witnesses before paramedics arrived . The teen was rushed to a hospital , where he was pronounced dead from serious stab wounds . After interviewing witnesses , investigators named 18-year-old Giovanny Montelongo as a suspect . He was taken into custody Thursday evening at a Long Beach residence on suspicion of murder , said police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt . 'My son was not a gang member . This was a murder , done outright , and he did not deserve this , ' Brooks ' father , Keeyon Layton , said at a Thursday evening press conference . 'And to the people who came to his aid , I would like to thank you , very much . It pleases me that he was not alone during his time of death . ' The killing occurred as parents were picking up students at the middle school , police said . Investigators and Brooks ' father implored any witnesses to come forward . Keshawn 's grieving parents spoke out on Thursday . His father Keeyon Layton said : 'This was murder , done outright . He did not deserve this ' Montelongo was held without bail as a requirement of one of three outstanding warrants unrelated to Thursday 's incident , Pratt said . The warrants were sealed because the previous alleged offenses occurred when he was a juvenile , she said . Pratt did n't know if Montelongo has a lawyer . He was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday . The Long Beach Unified School District was providing grief counselors for students Friday .
Keshawn ward was stabbed multiple times outside a middle school on Thursday afternoon . Parents and teachers nearby rushed to his aid , but he could not be identified .