Five people, some of whom were students, were stabbed at the University of California at Merced outside a classroom building on Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the university. All five of the victims were treated for stab wounds, with two of the victims airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter and three victims treated on campus. The university tweeted that all of the students were conscious after the stabbing. The school is in a campus lockdown, with classes canceled, as of about 8:00 a.m. local time, when the stabbing is believed to have taken place. Shortly after the stabbing was reported, the university tweeted that classes were canceled and advised students who weren't on campus not to come to the university for the day. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told the Merced Sun-Star that officers were searching for any additional victims at the university campus. Nearby roads were closed to traffic after the incident.
According to the Sun-Star, the suspect was a male student in his 20s. The university has reported that police fatally shot the suspect, and the school is remaining closed, with classes canceled for rest of the day. The incident occurred in front of the university's Classroom and Office Building, according to a press release. The building is home to classrooms and offices for various humanities and natural sciences departments.
"Campus is locked down. Do not come to campus. If you're on campus, stay where you are," the school warned students on Wednesday. "Though there is no active danger, getting on and off campus is difficult." The school added on Twitter that while students are advised not to come to campus, students and faculty are allowed to leave campus. The university, which opened in 2005, has about 6,685 students, according to the Sun-Star.
The University of California at Merced will hold a press conference at 4:00 p.m. local time to address Wednesday's incident. "I can tell you that we're really shocked and saddened by this," campus spokesperson Lorena Anderson told the Los Angeles Times. "We're doing everything we can to contact family and parents to make sure everyone here is safe and secure."
The school also offered information about campus resources, including counseling services, at the university's Counseling and Psychological Services center. In its press release following news of the stabbing, the school welcomed students impacted by the day's events to call the counseling center's 24-hour hotline at (209) 228-4266 to speak with a counselor or to make an appointment.
This post is being updated.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
