One person was killed and three others injured on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The attack took place on the afternoon of May 1 at around 1:50 p.m. outside of Gregory Gymnasium. A male began stabbing people at random. Three of the victims were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge. One of the victims died from his injuries at the scene.
Police said that all four of the victims were men in their early twenties and are students at the University of Texas at Austin.
The suspect was identified as Kendrex J. White, a 21-year-old male who is a Biology major at UT. White was apprehended and taken without incident into custody by the Austin police. Charges will soon be coming and at this time, there is no known motive for the fatal attack.
Kendrex J. White is a junior at the University of Texas and is from Killeen, Texas. Killeen is about 70 miles north of Austin and is home to the U.S. military post, Fort Hood.
Picture of the suspect outside Gregory. pic.twitter.com/fEQQxscXhm
— The Daily Texan (@thedailytexan) May 1, 2017
Austin Police Chief David Carter told ABC News that at around 1:49 p.m., police received a call detailing an individual attacking or assaulting someone outside of Gregory Gym. An officer arrived on scene about two minutes after the initial call and saw a man armed with what appeared to be a large hunting knife. The man was walking away from one of the victims.
University of Texas President Greg Fenves released a statement Monday afternoon and said the following.
“There are no words to describe my sense of loss. Campus safety is our highest priority and we will investigate this tragic incident to the greatest extent possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, the witnesses to the crime, and every member of Longhorn nation. We all mourn today.”
All classes are canceled for the remainder of the day.
There are no words to describe my sense of loss. Law enforcement investigating this crime against our students. Increased patrols underway pic.twitter.com/hKUhWxF40e
— Greg Fenves (@gregfenves) May 1, 2017
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement about the incident on campus.
“Our prayers go out to all those affected by today’s tragic events,” Abbott said. “I have been briefed by the Department of Public Safety on both incidents, and have also talked to University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves. As the investigations into these heinous crimes continue, I have offered all available state resources to both Dallas and the University of Texas to assist in any effort.”
The identities of the victims have not been released yet. All the victims were found in about a one block area. The three who were taken to the hospital had serious injuries but are expected to live. Police Chief Carter said three of the victims are white males and another is an Asian male.
According to PBS , this was the second recent homicide at the University of Texas at Austin. A little over one year ago, a woman was found on campus sexually assaulted and murdered. The victim, Haruka Weiser, was a freshman at the university when the murder took place.
Rumors started flying around campus after the stabbing attack, saying that other attacks were likely to happen. There was also a bomb threat made, but police say the campus is safe and all is under control. It is unknown yet if classes will resume on Tuesday or if they will be canceled again.
Police are questioning Kendrex J. White to find out all they can about his motive for the tragic attacks. His friends and family have likely been contacted and investigators are looking at his social media accounts and computer records to find out more.
At least 25 UT students witnessed the attacks, and they have spoken with authorities as to what they saw and heard during the incident.
[Featured Image by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images]