MERCED (AP) — Merced County’s district attorney has concluded that police were justified in the shooting death of an 18-year-old student who went on a stabbing rampage at a central California university last month, injuring four.
District Attorney Larry D. Morse II announced Monday that a review showed that the death of 18-year-old Faisal Mohammad on Nov. 4 was warranted given the “imminent threat” he presented to officers.
Authorities say that Mohammad, a freshman from Santa Clara, California, burst into a classroom at the University of California, Merced and slashed fellow students over a dispute about a study group. T
The prosecutor’s description of Mohammad’s final minutes matches testimony provided by another student who also witnessed the police chase.
Two officers were chasing Mohammad soon after the stabbings when he suddenly stopped to face them, knife in hand. The officers yelled at him to get on the ground and to put the knife down. He ignored the orders.
Instead, Mohammad appeared to lunge at one of the officers, Olaf Lopez, with the knife raised at shoulder height. According to the district attorney, Lopez shot once, but Mohammad continued to advance. The officer fired again, and this time Mohammad fell to the ground.