The knife-wielding assailant who stabbed four people at the University of California, Merced, Wednesday morning has been identified.
Faisal Mohammad was a freshman from Santa Clara who was living on campus and majored in computer science and engineering. He was shot dead by campus police after his violent rampage.
According to The Daily Mail, “the FBI are now trying to figure out the motives of the 18-year-old…”
Andrew Velasquez, his roommate, told ABC30 Mohammad was anti-social and was always alone on campus.
‘Didn’t talk much. And I never saw him walk with anybody. Walking to class, I never saw him walk with anybody.
‘Every time I would try and say something he would just ignore it.’
The anti-social loner came alive during his stabbing spree, however, according to one of the victims – Byron Price – who said that the smile on his attacker’s face really bothered him.
Price, 31, said when he went to investigate what he believed was a fist fight, the suspect lunged at him, stabbing his left side.
‘He had a smile on his face, he was having fun – which is more what bothers me,’ he told CBSFresno.
‘I just kind of kicked at him,’ Price added. ‘It was a really big knife and he was swinging it down so I figured if I was on the ground and my feet were at him, he could get my legs and not my body. And it turned out, it worked.’
The father-of-four said after he was wounded, he saw the attacker go on to stab others.
Price, a construction worker who was working on remodeling a waiting room at the University of California, is being hailed as a hero for his actions.
Sheriff-Coroner Vern Warnke said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that Price likely saved the life of the first victim who was attacked.
The suspect was then shot and killed by campus police officers after he ran outside and stabbed a female student and a female staff member.
According to Warnke, “the weapon used in the stabbings was a hunting knife between 8 and 10 inches long.”
All four of the victims are expected to recover from their wounds.
Classes were canceled Thursday so police could continue their investigation, ABC 7 News reports. The backpack the suspect wore was detonated and police are testing a substance that was found inside.
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