Officials have offered another update on the stabbing attack on the UC Merced campus of the University of California yesterday morning, which injured four and left the attacker dead, shot by campus police officers. The knife attacker was identified this morning as 18-year-old student Faisal Mohammad.
At this afternoon’s press conference, both Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke and university chancellor Dorothy Leland said that the stabbing attack was personally motivated.
UC Merced Chancellor says attacker motivated by personal reasons, not politics or terrorism.
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) November 5, 2015
Sheriff Warnke: @fbi has found nothing in Mohammad's history, belongings, anything to indicate anything other than personal motivations.
— Corin Hoggard (@corinhoggard) November 5, 2015
"This was an individual act" says Merced Co Sheriff Vern Warnke @KSEE24 @CBS47
— Lindsey Henry (@LindseyHenry365) November 5, 2015
FBI did a comprehensive background check on subject & his family. They found nothing other than his own criminal behavior – Sheriff Warnke
— UC Merced (@ucmerced) November 5, 2015
"We have nothing to indicate that this person was on anyone's radar." -Sheriff Vern Warnke Merced County
— KSEE24 News (@KSEE24) November 5, 2015
Yesterday the sheriff revealed that the stabbings were committed with an 8- to 10-inch hunting knife. A bomb squad was brought in yesterday to approach Mohammad’s backpack after he was shot, and although no explosives were found, the contents were disturbing.
Merced sheriff says items in attacker's backpack indicate he had plans to injure more people.
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) November 5, 2015
"The evidence found in that backpack were his intentions were to go further than he did." -Sheriff Vern Warnke Merced County
— CBS47 (@CBS47) November 5, 2015
Recommended
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke says stabber's backpack had duct tape, zip ties & hammer. "He intended more harm." pic.twitter.com/cTnjaCc7mH
— Ramona Giwargis (@RamonaGiwargis) November 5, 2015
Along with two students, a vendor and a construction worker were injured Wednesday. The construction worker, Byron Price, is credited with distracting Mohammed as he began his stabbing spree with a noisy fight in a classroom.
This is Byron Price, a construction worker, whose father says he was stabbed in today's attack at #UCMerced . pic.twitter.com/3E6C01KODp
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) November 4, 2015
John Price says his son Byron, 31, heard fight in classroom, went to door, was stabbed in abdomen by man coming out.
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) November 4, 2015
Price tells @kcranews he received 9 staples for his stab wound but is now out of hospital.
— David Bienick (@BienickWCVB) November 4, 2015
John Price says his son Byron looked the stabbing suspect in the eye & he had "a strange almost smile on his face like he was enjoying it."
— Linda Mumma (@LindaBMumma) November 5, 2015
Join the conversation as a VIP Member