Facebook/GoFundMe Isaac Schuman
Isaac Schuman was about to apply to universities to start on the path of becoming an electrical engineer, but his dreams were stopped tragically short when the 17-year-old Minnesota boy was stabbed to death while tubing along the Apple River.
He was described in a GoFundMe page set up to help his family as the “light of the family,” and a person who was “driven and determined to be successful” with an “infectiously positive aura.”
Schuman was an incoming senior at Stillwater High School in Minnesota.
A suspect, a 52-year-old Minnesota man, is in custody. He is accused of stabbing Schuman to death, and wounding four other people. The suspect has now been criminally charged. You can read the criminal complaint here. He is claiming self defense; the complaint describes an intense confrontation between Miu and a group of juveniles. It also says police say the suspect had an opening to leave the confrontation before the stabbings.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Schuman Was an Honor Roll Student Who Started a Car & Boat Detailing Business
In a statement released to KARE-11, Schuman’s family wrote:
“Isaac, our beloved son and brother, tragically passed away yesterday in the Apple River stabbing incident. Isaac was 17, he was looking forward to his senior year at Stillwater High School and was also preparing to apply to several universities to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering.”
The family statement revealed: “He was an Honor Roll Student at Stillwater High and had recently become very involved in golf and was planning to try out for the Pony Golf Team.”
Despite his young age, Schuman was already a small business owner. “Also, in the last year, Isaac started a car and boat detailing business, he was growing the business rapidly and becoming quite an impressive young entrepreneur. He was mature for his age and had a forward looking mentality that was uncommon for a High School junior,” the family wrote.
2. The Family Says Schuman ‘Entered Every Room With a Big Smile’
The family paid tribute to Schuman’s positive personality.
“Isaac entered every room with a big smile, infectiously positive aura, and lifted everyone around him up. He had an incredibly bright future ahead of him and we are all heartbroken and devastated beyond words that his future has been tragically and senselessly cut short,” they wrote.
“We very much appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from our friends, Isaac’s friends and the Stillwater community. We also respectfully ask the media to honor our request for privacy at this extremely difficult time.”
3. A GoFundMe Page, Set Up to Help Schuman’s Family, Describes Schuman as ‘The Light of the Family & the Brightest Star’
GoFundMeIsaac Schuman with his family.
A GoFundMe page is raising funds to help Schuman’s family. It reads:
Hi my name is Dani. I have been a lifelong friend of the family. I am putting this fundraiser together to help support Isaac’s family. A lot of people have reached out to help and this is one way we can all come together to support the family.
Isaac was the light of the family and the brightest star. He was an honor roll student. He was driven and determined to be successful. He was smart, kind, a great friend, brother, cousin and most of all son. He had the biggest heart, which he shared with many. He entered every room with a big smile, infectiously positive aura and lifted everyone around him.
4. People Who Knew Schuman Paid Tribute to Him on Social Media
Travel WisconsinA mass stabbing occurred on the Wisconsin Apple River among tubers.
Tributes flowed for Schuman. “Such a tough time for Stillwater family’s. Thinking of his family, friends, teachers that taught him, and all in the Stillwater district. I remember how sweet he was in kindergarten 😥 ” wrote one woman on Facebook.
A woman wrote on the KARE11 Facebook page, “I live in Somerset. Our ENTIRE town and community are saddened and so sorry for this loss and our thoughts and prayers are for all the victims and their families.”
Another wrote, “Absolutely unacceptable and absolutely depressing. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of this young man.”
A woman wrote on Facebook, “I still can’t believe this happened. He has always been such a kind, smiley person. Even as a young kid. So sad 💔 😞”
5. The Victims Were Tubing on the Apple River When the Suspect Attacked, Authorities Say
The suspect was with a group of six to eight people, and the victims were in another group. The sheriff said authorities want to interview about 15 to 20 people. Authorities aren’t sure what started the incident.
“We located five individuals that were suffering from stab wounds,” Sheriff Scott Knudson said. Four people were transported to a hospital. One person was deceased. The four surviving victims are three males and a female. The sheriff did not have their hometowns.
The tubing area is located in Somerset, Wisconsin. Knudson called the mass stabbing scene “chaotic, scary. I am sure that anybody who witnessed this will never forget it. It is a tragedy, and I feel really bad for the families.”
According to Travel Wisconsin, “The Apple River is a 77.5 mile-long tributary of the St. Croix River. Outfitters in and around Somerset provide rentals and transportation for this popular tubing river. The first half of the trip offers relaxed family floating. The last half features a wild rapids area for the daring and a walkway along the side for the less adventurous.”