Yesterday afternoon, a violent crime took place at Columbia Law School, all while law students were busy taking finals.
According to a schoolwide message sent by Dean Gillian Lester, the New York Police Department quickly responded to “a physical altercation between two non-affiliates … that led to injury.” A spokesperson for the NYPD gave the Columbia Spectator a little more insight on what actually happened:
A 62-year-old woman was stabbed “multiple times” in the lobby of Jerome L. Greene Hall at around 3:57 p.m. on Thursday ….
The woman is in critical condition and has been transported to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital to receive treatment, the spokesperson said. The NYPD confirmed that a suspect was taken into custody and a knife was recovered. The investigation remains ongoing.
The New York Post has all of the details:
The victim was arguing with her attacker, who cops described as an acquaintance, when the woman brought out the weapon and began assaulting her….
The attacker stabbed the 62-year-old once in the right breast, right thigh and right shoulder and slashed her once across her neck and once on her right hand, law enforcement sources said.
In her message to students, Dean Lester assured everyone that there was no active threat at the law school, and thanked public safety personnel for responding “quickly and effectively” to the incident. She went on to offer a message of comfort for the school community, and concern for the person injured in the attack:
“There is no doubt that an incident like this—involving physical violence—is jarring and upsetting. I encourage all members of our community to take advantage of the resources and support of services that Columbia makes available to students, faculty and staff. I also want to extend our collective concern to the person injured, with a sincere hope that they will make a full and complete recovery.”
Dean Lester went on to note that “[s]tudents who were completing their exams in JGH when the incident occurred will shortly receive guidance from Registration Services.”
Best of luck to everyone at Columbia Law as final exams conclude at the school. We sincerely hope that the woman injured makes a swift recovery.
Nonaffiliate stabbed ‘multiple times’ inside Law School, NYPD investigating [Columbia Spectator]
62-year-old woman repeatedly stabbed by female acquaintance at Columbia University [New York Post]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
