Oh my!
Yes this is really concerning especially as no one has so far been apprehended.
Just called my son.It seems the
students seem to think it is the townies or heroine addicts that are involved.
Does not make it any less scary.
Just to keep any concerned parents who aren’t getting the alerts updated, here is the info that has come through the alerts so far and what has been reported in the media (how factually accurate it is, I don’t know):
-two men (with vague descriptions) were breaking into a car when the car’s owner (college-aged male) caught them and was stabbed and taken to a hospital (but is expected to live)
-the attackers fled from Stewart Ave in the direction of West Campus
-one attacker may have a semi-automatic handgun according to “additional information”
-a shelter in place was issued and subsequently lifted after police determined the men had “left the area”
-currently, there are extra police patrols on west campus and additional Blue Light Escorts available to walk students home
Stay safe, everyone!
Thank you for the update!
Ithaca Journal has released an update with descriptions of the suspects in this case.
It appears that Cornell did an excellent job of alerting students and keeping them updated about this dangerous situation.
Thanks @Ranza123 – I had not heard about the car break-in.
My son lives a few hundred feet from the address of the stabbing and he said that there are at least a dozen police cars outside. VERY unnerving, as these recent stabbings are the first violent acts I have heard of in the eight or so years I have been on Facebook. (I have Cornell updates pushed out to me as an alum, and followed more closely in the years before my son applied.)
I need to figure out how to get those alerts. I used to get them for other son fairly often from USC in Los Angeles. Didn’t expect to get any in Ithaca!
Thx for sharing. I wonder if the same person did all four stabbings?
Does anyone know how parents sign up for alerts?
@MOMANDBOYSTWO – I don’t think they know if the same person was involved.
I agree that I did not expect to receive this type of warning from Ithaca.
I think the students can register to receive text notifications but I cannot figure out how parents can register. I sense there will be many concerned parents contacting the university tomorrow.
Rawlings just sent this out.
Dear Cornell Community:
Earlier this evening, our community was once again jolted by an act of violence. An individual unaffiliated with Cornell, who has not yet been identified, was stabbed in the leg by as of yet unknown assailants off campus near the Stewart Avenue bridge. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he is being treated. All of our thoughts are with the victim as we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
The Ithaca Police Department (IPD), with the assistance of the Cornell University Police Department, responded immediately to secure the area. After an initial Emergency Message Notification was issued, directing all in the immediate vicinity to shelter in place, the police soon thereafter determined that the assailants had left the area, and an additional, “all clear” Emergency Message Notification was issued. Additional police patrols have been added to the area and will remain in effect until such time as they are no longer deemed necessary.
Tonight’s incident is particularly troubling as it comes a little more than four weeks after Ithaca College student Anthony Nazaire was murdered in a stabbing on Campus Road, an incident that is still actively being investigated.
One act of violence near our campus is one too many. I want to assure you that the safety of our campus community is our number one priority, and we are committed to doing all we can to assist the police in bringing those responsible for these crimes to justice, and to taking all available steps to promote the safety and security of our campus.
We will remain actively involved in assisting IPD with its investigations, and I will continue to communicate with you on this important issue over the coming weeks. I encourage you to check emergency.cornell.edu for updates and alerts.
Yours Sincerely,
Hunter R. Rawlings III
Interim President
@xanthippe – I cannot figure out how to register as a parent.
https://emergency.cornell.edu/faq/
Cornell University faculty, staff and students should sign up to receive emergency notification text messages. Visit this web page for instructions.
Page for students to register for text notifications:http://emergency.cornell.edu/alert/
Thanks @CT1417 – I’ll email them (along with other parents most likely) and ask.
The page where the student can signup for notifications (link noted above) allows for 1 number for texts and 1 number for voice calls. You can easily put the student’s number as one (texts for example) and the parent’s number as the other (voice calls).
@CT1417 Thx for the link to sign up for text alerts. I will try to register. I did just receive the email from Pres. Rawlings.
Freshman son has his first two Cornell prelims tomorrow. Physics & Comp Sci. Hope this sad event hasn’t distracted him too much from cramming…
Let’s hope they catch these criminals soon!
@altmusicman — I tried registering but am not really sure if I was successful. Was hoping they would sent a confirming text. This may end up being like the time I signed up for snow closing notifications and received four messages every time snow delayed or cancelled school in CT.
ICYMI: http://cornellsun.com/2016/09/29/ipd-stewart-avenue-stabbing-not-a-random-act-of-violence/
The Ithaca Police Department says it has determined that the stabbing incident on Wednesday night was “not a random act of violence,” and the victim and suspects knew each other.