A 56-year-old woman, Billie Davis, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a teenage Indiana University student in the head in a racially motivated attack.
Davis stabbed the 18-year-old on a bus in Bloomington City last week because she was Asian, court documents say.
“This week, Bloomington was sadly reminded that anti-Asian hate is real,” James Wimbush, Indiana University’s vice president for diversity, said in a statement.
“No one should face harassment or violence due to their background, ethnicity, or heritage,” he added.
The suspect, meanwhile, has been held in the Monroe County jail, according to court records.
The mayor of Bloomington also released a statement regarding the Asian student stabbed due to her race on Wednesday.
Mayor John Hamilton said: “Following the brutal attack of a member of our community, I want to state categorically that here in the city of Bloomington we deplore any form of racism and discrimination, especially hate-based violence. This behaviour is not acceptable and will be dealt with accordingly.”
The victim told police that she was waiting for the bus doors to open when the suspect repeatedly stabbed her in the head.
The student was taken to a hospital for immediate medical attention.
Video from inside the bus showed the victim and her alleged attacker had no interaction before the stabbing. Authorities did not release the student’s name.
WRTV reported that the suspect told police she stabbed the woman because it “would be one less person to blow up our country”.
The mayor added in his statement: “We know when a racially motivated incident like this resonates throughout the community, it can leave us feeling less safe. We stand with the Asian community and all who feel threatened by this event. Our staff will continue to do all we can for the victim and the larger community.
He called the attack on the student a “senseless incident” that is a “reminder that we should all look out for each other, be aware of our surroundings and seek to combat racism and prejudice in all its forms wherever and whenever we encounter it”.
