TORONTO — A professor and two students were stabbed to death Wednesday during a class on “gender issues” at a university in the Canadian city of Waterloo and a suspect was detained, police said.
The injuries were not life-threatening, police said, adding that the motive for the attack at the University of Waterloo was not immediately clear. The suspect was being questioned by investigators.
“There are no further threats to public safety, either on campus or outside of the broader community at this time,” the Waterloo Regional Police Service Superintendent said. said Shaena Morris at a press conference.
Nick Manning, associate vice president for communications at the University of Waterloo, identified the suspect as a member of “the university community” but declined to confirm that the individual is a student. He said that two students and a teacher were stabbed.
Manning said the stabbing occurred at Philosophy 202, which, according to the university’s website, focuses on “gender issues.”
“Our entire community is really worried about this happening here. It’s a huge shock,” Manning told reporters.
Yusuf Kaymak, a student at the University of Waterloo, told CTV News that the attack occurred in a gender studies class.
“Basically, the guy came in and asked the teacher if he was the teacher, he said ‘yes,’ then he pulled out a knife and after that, they all ran away,” Kaymak told CTV.
“I ran outside, and after we got out, there was a kid who was stabbed. He was bleeding (from) his arm. I don’t know what happened to the professor, ”he said.
Kaymak said there were about 40 students in the class at the time.
Classes scheduled for Wednesday night at Hagey Hall, where the attack occurred, have been cancelled, but all other campus operations will continue as usual, the university said in a tweet.
“Our first thoughts, of course, go to the students who are in the class and have immediately turned their attention to making sure as well as supporting the police investigation,” Manning said.
