Authorities on Saturday continued to investigate a deadly attack at a Southern California university. On Friday, a Cal Poly Pomona public safety employee was fatally stabbed and his suspected killer was mortally wounded in an officer-involved shooting on campus, officials said.
The “public security specialist” was found stabbed in his truck on the south campus of the university by a fellow employee at about 4:30 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release. The victim, only identified as a 37-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A short time later, witnesses called law enforcement to report that they may have located the male attacker, who was “acting strange,” near the Lyle Center, authorities said. Witnesses said he appeared to be “out of it,” and one person was attacked by the man, sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said.
The suspect was then fatally shot by a Cal Poly Pomona police officer and a Pomona Police Department officer, the lieutenant added. The suspect was only identified as an African-American man, and he was described as possibly being a custodian on campus.
It was unclear what exactly led up to the shooting, which occurred around 4:55 p.m. A knife was recovered at the scene of the officer-involved shooting, according to the news release.
Officials said the victim, who was previously a student at the university, worked for Cal State police but was not a sworn officer and was not armed. He used to work as a parking officer and recently transitioned to his new position.
It was not immediately clear if the two men knew each other.
The motive behind the fatal stabbing was also unknown. Corina said investigators would be looking into whether the suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or had mental issues. He said the incident appeared to be isolated.
Students told KTLA on Friday evening that they were worried because they initially had no idea what was going on.
Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya M. Coley sent a letter to the campus community Friday evening, which read in part:
“Many details are unknown at this point, but we grieve with the family members and loved ones mourning the loss of life today. On behalf of the Cal Poly Pomona community, I express gratitude to the University Police Department and officers from local agencies and other CSU campuses for their efforts in responding to today’s incident.”
The university announced that counseling and psychological services were available to students, faculty and staff.
Counseling Resources:
Student Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), 909-869-3220
CPPLifeMatters (for faculty and staff), 1-800-367-7474— Cal Poly Pomona (@calpolypomona) June 30, 2018
Anyone with additional information about this case was asked to contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
