OTTAWA (CBC) - A 17-year-old boy was in court to face a charge of first-degree murder Tuesday after a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed at an alternative school in Cornwall, Ont., the day before.

The bail hearing for the accused, whose name cannot legally be released because he is a minor, was attended by many of the friends and relatives of the victim, who died in hospital after being stabbed around 1 p.m. at T.R. Leger School, a facility for adult, alternative and continuing education located on the campus of St. Lawrence College.

Brandon Busch said he was in the classroom when his friend was attacked by a classmate.

"The kid just runs in like screaming and yelling, pulled out a big dagger from his pants, chased him around, flipping desks, stabbed him twice in the back, and then took off," recalled Busch on Tuesday outside the courtroom during a recess.

He and four or five friends pursued and cornered the 17-year-old, who was arrested after running along a bike path nearby.

Police said the attack was the result of an altercation, but Busch and other students said it came out of nowhere.

Friends and family of the victim, who also cannot be named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, said the boy was originally from Cornwall, but he and his family had been living in Sault Ste. Marie until recently. The family had moved back to Cornwall to seek treatment for the boy's father, who is ill.

Evidence at the bail hearing, which was continuing into the late afternoon, is covered by a publication ban.

Classes resumed at the college campus Tuesday after being cancelled Monday afternoon.

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