As if the final weeks of the college semester couldn't get anymore difficult, the students of Lone Star College in Texas experienced tragedy Tuesday morning. At least 15 people were injured after a series of stabbings terrorized the campus. One suspect is currently in custody, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The stabbings occurred around 11:20 a.m. at the Cy-Fair campus at 9191 Barker Cypress. Authorities have detained one suspect, 21-year-old student Adrian Garcia, and video evidence suggests that no other suspects were involved.
Minutes before the stabbings, Cy-Fari campus police arrested Demond Lago on a trespassing offense. While he was waiting, police ushered in Garcia and put him in the holding area with Lago.
"We were sitting on the floor while a cop sat in a chair," Lago said. "I asked him, did you do it? And he said yes. Then the cop told us to stop talking to each other."
When the officer turned his back, Lago said, he asked Garcia, "What were you trying to do? He said he was trying to go on a killing spree but the (expletive) blade broke."
Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said investigators have no information that indicates additional culprits, however search efforts persist. Gilliland also added that a student had wrestled Garcia to the ground to prevent further bloodshed.
Captain Robert Rasa of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department said 12 people were rushed to nearby hospitals while several others refused treatment. Four were in critical condition and airlifted to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center. Two others were taken to Memorial Hermann while the remaining victims suffered minor wounds and were taken to North Cypress Hospital. Three injuries were treated on-scene. Many of the injuries were stab wounds to the face and neck.
Police have yet to retrieve the weapon. Garcia has yet to provide police with a motive.
College officials issued a campus-wide alert immediately following the stabbings, advising people to seek immediate shelter. They also warned those who were off campus not to return.
Michelle Alvarez saw Garcia running toward other students and tried to back out of the way. She said she didn't even feel the knife as it grazed her neck. There was a small red line running down her wind pipe.
"He came running and swinging at my neck, as I tried to get out of the way," she said.
Cassius Roberts, 22, said he saw a man running with several people chasing him. He then saw a victim with her mouth slashed open and a student wrestle the suspect to the ground.
"When I was walking down the halls, I was just looking over my shoulder and left feeling wary of everything," he said. "As the story unfolded I realized it was horrible."
This is not the first incident of its kind at Lone Star College. On January 22, three people were shot on the North Harris campus. One of the victims had been arrested in the shooting, but charges were later dropped when authorities identified the gunman as Trey Foster.
Hopefully the incidents don't spark a deadly trend with future initiatives to terrorize Lone Star College. What began as a sunny spring morning has been spoiled by senseless violence, and the last thing students need is to live in fear while closing out the spring semester.
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