Safety & Security

Four stabbing victims at University of California, Merced, expected to recover

Assailant, an 18-year-old student, was killed by police
Nov. 5, 2015
2 min read

All four persons who were injured in a stabbing at the University of California, Merced, are expected to recover fully, campus officials say.

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland said in a statement posted online that one of the victims, a student, is still hospitalized. A second student was treated and released. A female university employee suffered a collapsed lung and is recovering after surgery. A male construction worker was treated and released.

The assailant in Wednesday's attack has been identified as Faisal Mohammad, 18, a freshman student from Santa Clara, Calif., who was a resident of Tuolumne Hall on campus.

"We do not have any clear information as to the motive for his actions, which originated in a second-floor classroom of the Classroom and Office Building," Leland says. "We can be very thankful that campus police were able to respond quickly and stop him before he hurt anyone else."

The campus reopened at noon Thursday Pacific time for faculty and staff, but classes have been canceled until Friday.

Earlier:

Four people were injured and a suspect was shot to death by police after a stabbing Wednesday morning at the University of California, Merced, campus

The UC Merced Police Department reports that the stabbings occurred in front of the Classroom and Office Building, according to a university news release. Initial reports said that five persons had been stabbed, but officials later amended the number of victims to four.

Campus officials say some, but not all, of the victims are students, The Associated Press reports. Officials provided no description of the assailant or a motive for the attack. The assault occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Times as students arrived for classes.

More than 6,600 students are enrolled at UC Merced, which is about 120 miles south of Sacramento. The campus opened a decade ago and is the newest college in the University of California system.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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