SUSPECT IN STABBINGS SURRENDERS
Weekend tense on campus
The 21-year-old man sought in connection to the string of student stabbings on the University of Windsor campus early Friday morning turned himself in to police Sunday afternoon following a weekend of unease on campus.
Emad Abdel BenAbdellah, the alleged stabber in the attack of three students, went to Windsor police headquarters at about 3:30 p.m. and turned himself in.
Sgt. Brett Corey said that around 2 a.m. Friday three students were stabbed outside the Thirsty Scholar pub within a few minutes. Police did not know why the attack happened.
Abdellah, who was known to police, was taken into custody with numerous pending charges, including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and breach of probation.
He will appear in court today to answer the charges.
The weapon used during the attacks has not yet been recovered and investigators are asking anyone with any information regarding its location or the assaults to call Windsor Police Investigations at 519-2556700 ext. 4830 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 519-258TIPS (8477).
The pub has been closed indefinitely as a result of the violence while the University of Windsor Student Alliance, which runs the pub, investigates what went on and examines how to prevent a similar incident.
Students interviewed on the weekend said the stabbings are disturbing.
“It’s disappointing more than anything,” Cara Whitfield, a 19-year-old student, said Saturday at the University of Windsor’s CAW centre.
“The pub should be a place where students can start to experience going out, especially if you’re younger, to get a feel for the bar scene before they go downtown.”
Whitfield said she often went to the pub during first semester.
“I thought back to times when we’ve actually gone there and there’s always people on the outside coming in that look a little bit older and are not from our campus,” she said.
The pub has a policy requiring a non-student to be signed in by a student. Part of the UWSA investigation involves finding out if that policy was in force Thursday night.
Nailah Gordon-decicieo, a thirdyear law student, wasn’t aware of the incident.
“Honestly, I’m shocked,” she said, as she read the Saturday Star’s front page article for the first time.
“I think it’s scary to know that (someone) could get into the pub with a weapon. What are the security levels?” And what precautions are taken to keep non-students out, she asked.
Gordon-decicieo, 25, was upset with the “lack of public awareness” on campus.
No warning signs were posted on campus, no emails were sent and the university website didn’t mention the incident, she said.
“These could be my peers. They’re within my age group. I think those things should be transparent.”
Holly Ward, chief communications officer of the university, said the school has been working with the students directly affected and with police on the investigation.
“We’ll provide whatever updates we can (today),” she said. “Given it is a Windsor police investigation we’re not able to provide a lot of details. We understand the desire of people to know the details and we will share whatever we are able to.”
Ward said the school reached out to students through social media. On the university’s Facebook page the school posted “Uwindsor pub closed until further notice.”
The three stabbing victims are recovering. Two were treated for their cuts and released from hospital Friday. The worst injury was to a 23-year-old man who was bleeding heavily from lacerations to his leg and buttock. He was treated for lifethreatening injuries at Hotel-dieu Grace Hospital.