Student stabbed after Evolv weapons detection failure

A high school student in Utica, New York, was stabbed on Halloween 2022 after an AI weapons detection system failed to identify a knife brought into the school.

18-year-old Ehni Ler Htoo was stabbed multiple times by a fellow student armed with a nine-inch hunting knife, despite the school having installed and screened both students with an AI-powered Evolv Express weapons detection system. 

She suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, face, shoulder, back and hand, and required extensive surgery. She is now pursuing legal action against Evolv and the Utica City School District for negligence and misrepresentation of technology.

The incident took place at Proctor High School in Utica, New York, six months after Utica Schools Board had purchased Evolv Technology's weapons scanning system for 13 schools in its district at a cost of USD 3.7 million. 

Since the attack, three knives were reported to have been discovered on students in other schools within the district, according to the BBC. In all cases, Evolv Express had failed to detect the knives, casting further doubt on the accuracy of the system and on the company's marketing claims.

It also transpired that Evolv Technology had changed its website marketing slogan several times over recent months, from 'Weapons-Free Zones' to 'Our Mission: Safe Zones' to 'Our Mission: Safer Zones'. 

The company had previously been accused of opaque and misleading marketing on multiple occasions.