MERCED (KMJ) — Faisal Mohammed has been identified as the suspect behind the stabbing spree which took place at UC Merced Wednesday morning.
He’s a Computer Science and Engineering freshman from Santa Clara. The 18 year old was shot and killed by UC Merced Police around 40 yards away from where the violent incident began.
The Chancellor of UC Merced has announced that there’s no reason to believe this was a terrorist act.
“We are in the preliminary stages of our inquiry, but based on the evidence gathered so far, including at the crime scene and at the suspect’s campus dormitory room, we have no reason to believe that this was in any way related to terrorism”.
“At this point, it would be irresponsible to draw such conclusions based solely on the ethnicity of the suspect”.
She says it was personal animosity and not a political agenda that was behind the acts. She’s credited the students in the classroom with alerting the police and thwarting further attacks.
Resources from other University of California sites have also been brought in to provide counseling to students, faculty and staff.
“They have found nothing in this person’s history, personal belongings, electronic devices, or any other items, to suggest anything other than this was the act of an individual for a vendetta”, says Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke.
Bomb disposal experts were called in to investigate Faisal Mohammed’s backpack, as it was feared the contents could be dangerous.
“Items found in it would suggest to us that this person had far greater intentions to do harm”. continued Sheriff Warnke. “Because of the actions of everybody involved yesterday that did not occur”.
“In the backpack were zip tied hand cuffs. Two clear bags holding Vaseline, petroleum jelly. Also in there was a night-vision scope, a safety hammer that is a device used to break windows, duct tape”.
But after a comprehensive background check by the FBI, Sheriff Warnke says there is nothing to suggest any outside influence and his actions were as a result of his own criminal behavior.
There were four victims in the attack – two students, a staff member and a construction worker. A student and the staff member remain in the hospital, and the other student and the construction worker have been released.
The construction worker has been credited with saving the life of the first victim, and he’s been identified as Byron Price. His father John Price has described his as a “defender of the weak”.
“I’m extremely proud of what he did. Doesn’t surprise me at all because that’s just him. He’s been that way since kindergarten”.
“He had delusions of grandeur,” the sheriff said. “I don’t think he had any actual capability to carry it out.”
Warnke said Mohammad’s plan was written in English and referenced the Muslim god Allah several times. But Warnke said the student was motivated by personal animosities and the attacks had nothing to do with religion or terrorism.
“We had a teenager who was upset he was kicked out of a study group,” Warnke said. “We had a teenager who didn’t know how to channel his anger.”
The sheriff said Mohammad was born in the United States. He said investigators didn’t find any evidence of mental illness.
