A 21-year-old former student has been arrested after a spate of stabbings, two fatal, in the California college town of Davis, authorities have said.
Carlos Dominguez was arrested in connection with three stabbings after being detained on Wednesday, according to police chief Darren Pytel. Police found Dominguez after receiving calls from 15 residents who say they saw a man who matched the description of the attacker walking near a park where one of the victims had been killed days earlier.
Pytel says that Dominguez had a large knife in his backpack and was wearing the same clothes described by witnesses who saw the third stabbing.
Pytel says police think Dominguez is responsible for all three attacks, adding that the attacks qualify as serial killings. “We hope that the announcement today provides some levels of relief … These crimes have resulted in irreparable harm,” Pytel said.
The police chief added that Dominguez was a student at the University of California, Davis, up until last week. The university said that it plans to cooperate with the investigation, Gary May, the chancellor of UC Davis, said.
“It’s pretty remarkable, 15 people took a description that we put out. They saw someone who matched the description and they called,” Pytel added.
The attacks have shaken the small city, which lies just outside the state capital of Sacramento, over the past week. The first death was reported on Thursday before noon when officers found David Breaux, 50, on a bench in downtown’s central park. Breaux was well known in the area for more than a decade as the “Compassion Guy” who spread a message of love and compassion to his neighbors.
“He’s always been the kindest and sweetest person. He tried to be in a state of pure love and was offering these lessons, this time on the [park] bench,” Maria Breaux, David’s older sister, said.
On 30 April, Karim Abou Najm, a 20-year-old student at the University of California, Davis, was found stabbed to death in Sycamore Park. The next day someone stabbed an unhoused woman who is in her 60s through the tent in which she was living in the city’s downtown area. She survived the attack and is in critical condition.
Davis is home to roughly 67,000 residents, known for its laid-back vibe, bicycle-friendly infrastructure and the University of California, Davis, which enrolls more than 30,000 students.
Radhika Gawde, the president of the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis, told the Associated Press that the killings had deeply rattled the student body.
“I think I speak for the whole community here when I say we’re devastated by the loss of our peer,” she told the AP. “Our sense of safety has been completely shattered.”
As police investigate the attacks, local businesses began closing early or canceling events out of concern for the safety of their staff and customers, the Sacramento Bee reported.
“I commend the people of Davis who worked together to share tips and critical information to crack this case,” said Davis’s mayor, Will Arnold, following the arrest. “A murderer is off the streets and our families will sleep easier tonight.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
