Our View: Heroic actions kept tragic rampage from becoming worse

We can be truly grateful that the plans formulated in Faisal Mohammad’s tormented teenage mind never were fully carried out.

Mohammad attacked four people at UC Merced on Wednesday morning, wounding them with a hunting knife before he was confronted by campus police and killed. He had been on the campus only three months, but long enough to become alienated and angry.

A note found on his body, divulged by the Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, said he was angry over being asked to leave a study group. Tragic as his overreaction was, he was not a terrorist. His actions were more closely associated with teenage anger fantasies than terrorism. He intended to stab the first victim, then take a pistol away from responding officers and use it to shoot more students. It was the stuff of fantasy, not careful planning.

Still, more of it might have come true if not for Byron Price. Hearing the commotion in a nearby classroom, the construction worker chose not to ignore it or let someone else handle it. Instead, he did something likely instinctual for him but unthinkable for most. He opened the door.

Price walked in as Mohammad was attacking another student. When Price interrupted that attack, it might have saved the victim’s life. Witnesses say Mohammad then turned on Price, stabbing him. As he fled, Mohammad slashed another person and then another sitting on a bench outside the Classroom and Office Building. A few moments later, Mohammad encountered campus police.

Responsible for the safety of 7,000 students and staff, the officers acted quickly and appropriately. Their actions likely prevented further bloodshed.

The identity of the UC Merced officer who fired on Mohammad has not been released. But we know he was experienced and we believe he stuck to his training, ordering Mohammad to put down the knife. When that didn’t happen, the officer had no other choice. With four already injured, he could not allow Mohammad to continue his flight, endangering everyone he encountered. Still, firing on a teenager could not have been easy; we’re certain the officer would have preferred any other option.

Thursday, Chancellor Dorothy Leland confirmed this incident arose from a confrontation. Such things happen when young people live away from home for the first time. Fresno’s KFSN reported Mohammad often ignored his roommates and was a loner. KGO reported he was usually alone while attending Wilcox High School in Santa Clara.

If there is a call to action following this horrible incident, it is for college administrators to better recognize that the first few months away from home are incredibly stressful for many students. Most make friends, frequently building relationships that last a lifetime. But a few don’t fit in; and without their families to provide emotional support, their alienation and anger can turn inward or into violence.

Such incidents are disturbingly common. This year, students have been stabbed at UCLA, Rutgers, the University of Illinois, two campuses in Maryland, Chico State, Sacramento State … the list goes on. Almost every incident was the result of a fight or confrontation, not terrorism.

Professors, administrators and staff must be keenly aware of the adjustment needed for college students. If it’s not working, they must intercede and insist they seek help rather than retaliation. Once a student picks up a knife or a gun, it’s too late.

We don’t blame the campus for Faisal Mohammad’s angry rampage or his death. It could have been much worse without a heroic construction worker and a police officer required to do his duty. It would have been much better if it had never gotten to this point.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Our View: Heroic actions kept tragic rampage from becoming worse."