Texas student goes on stabbing ‘spree’
At least 14 people wounded in building-to-building rampage at community college in southern US state.
A student has gone on a building-to-building rampage at a Texas community college, stabbing and wounding at least 14 people before being subdued and arrested, authorities say.
They said Tuesday’s attack in the southern US state began at about 11:20am on the Lone Star Community College System campus.
At least 12 people were rushed to area hospitals, including four people taken by helicopter, according to Robert Rasa, volunteer fire department spokesman.
He said several people refused treatment at the scene and all the wounds were consistent with stabbing.
Sheriff Adrian Garcia said officers responded to the campus after receiving a call about a male “on the loose” stabbing people.
He said it was not immediately clear what type of weapon was used.
“Some of the details in the call slip did indicate that students or faculty were actively responding to work to subdue this individual,” Garcia said, describing the man as being about 21 years old and enrolled at the college.
“So we’re proud of those folks, but we’re glad no one else is injured any more severely than they are.”
Lone Star officials initially urged people on campus, about 40km northwest of Houston’s business district, to take shelter and be on alert for a second suspect.
But the sheriff’s department said a short time later that authorities believed just one person was responsible.
“It was the same suspect going from building to building,” Thomas Gilliland, department spokesman, said.
Garcia said buildings still were being searched Tuesday afternoon.
Student Teaundrae Perryman said he was in class when he received a text message from a friend and went outside to see a young woman being loaded into an ambulance with what appeared to be stab wounds to either her neck or head.
He said he did not receive an email alert from the college until 11:56am.
“I was concerned but I wasn’t afraid because I was with a large group of people,” the 21-year-old said, later adding: “The police got to the scene very quickly.”