Warning: this article contains graphic content relating to violence

Davis PD, UC Davis issue shelter-in-place order after third stabbing in five days

The Davis Police Department and UC Davis issued a shelter-in-place order

after a woman was stabbed at a houseless encampment late Monday night. The incident was the third stabbing in five days in Davis. 

The order, issued at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, was lifted at around 5:15 a.m. after the police reportedly completed a “thorough search of the area,” The California Aggie reported.

The suspect was not found during the search.

The victim of the May 1 stabbing was in critical condition as of Tuesday morning. The other two stabbing victims — 50-year-old David Henry Breaux and UC Davis computer science major Karim Abou Najm — were killed on April 27 and April 29, respectively.

There are ongoing investigations for each stabbing incident, according to Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel. 

“We’re still trying to determine if the first homicide is related to the second homicide and whether these are related to the stabbing from last night,” Pytel said in a May 2 press conference. “The similarities of the two homicides are that both involved male victims that occurred at Davis parks. The attacks with knives were particularly brutal and violent.”

“These were not stabbings where a person would normally be a victim of, like, a robbery or something like that, where there’s just a couple of wounds,” he continued. “There were many, and very significant knife wounds. The attack [Monday] night had far fewer knife wounds, but still similar in the description provided.”

Pytel said that Davis police have been in contact with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice about the incidents.

UCLA creates working group to facilitate campus accessibility

UC Los Angeles announced on April 4 that the university established the Working Group on Advancing Physical Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities, an administrative body designed to improve accessibility on the UCLA campus. 

The group will work with a UC-wide advisory board to identify inequities for individuals on campus with disabilities and create research-based improvement plans, the Daily Bruin reported

“As a public university committed to supporting students and employees with disabilities, UCLA must promote physical accessibility in all parts of our campus — including paths, buildings and classrooms — as well as ensure that disabled individuals can safely evacuate in an emergency,” a press release from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost read. 

The working group will focus on making paths, buildings, classrooms and emergency exit routes more accessible for all, the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion told the Daily Bruin. 

A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the May 4, 2023, print edition of the Daily Nexus.

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Alex Levin
Alex Levin (he/him) is the University News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. Previously, Levin was the Assistant News Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. He can be reached at alexlevin@dailynexus.com.