106°F
weather icon Windy

California university consultant killed in campus stabbing

FULLERTON, Calif. — A retired administrator working as a consultant to California State University, Fullerton was fatally stabbed Monday in a campus parking lot on the first day of the school year in what police called a targeted attack, though they were not sure of a motive.

Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57, of Hacienda Heights was found inside a silver Infiniti. He had been stabbed many times, police said.

He worked in admissions at the university before retiring and had been rehired for the fall semester.

A witness who called 911 at 8:27 a.m. said the attacker ran away, Fullerton police Lt. Jon Radus said. He was described as being in his 20s with black hair, wearing black pants and a black shirt.

“We do not know motive at this point for what occurred,” Radus told reporters. “We do not believe there is a random stabber.”

A backpack found underneath the car contained a knife-like weapon, items that could be used in a kidnapping, and a bottle filled with a flammable liquid that was capable of being ignited by hand, Radus said.

No order was given to shelter in place after the attack because the man was believed to have left the campus, but police presence was boosted.

The attack came as campus police were filming active-shooter scenarios in Pollack Library and other campus locations as part of emergency preparation. The filming was canceled after the attack, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The nearly 40,000-student commuter school in the middle of its host city in Orange County has the largest enrollment in the 23-campus California State University system. It is well known in the sports world for producing nationally ranked baseball teams and major leaguers including Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Khris Davis of the Oakland Athletics.

The academic year started Monday, with classes to resume later in the week.

In 1976, a custodian with a history of mental illness opened fire with a rifle in the school library, killing seven people and wounding two others. Edward Allaway was convicted and sentenced to a mental hospital.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Coming to America? In 2025, the US looks less like a dream and more like a place to avoid for some

For centuries, people in other countries saw the United States as place of welcome and opportunity. Now, President Donald Trump’s drive for mass deportations of migrants is riling the streets of Los Angeles, college campuses, even churches — and fueling a global rethinking about the virtues and promise of coming to America.

Military parade barrels through DC with tanks, troops and 21-gun salute

At times, President Trump saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade.

War rages on in Gaza after Israel opens a new front with Iran

The 20-month war with Hamas has raged on even as Israel has opened a new front with heavy strikes on Iran that sparked retaliatory drone and missile attacks.

Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as hundreds reported dead

Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country.

MORE STORIES