Share and Follow
U.S. colleges are on edge after four people were killed in three separate on-campus incidents in Kentucky, Georgia and Colorado over just 10 days.
Most recently, Campbellsville University student Charles Escalera, 21, was charged with murder and burglary in connection with the Feb. 24 death of Josiah Kilman, 18, of Columbia Falls, Montana. Both students were on the school’s wrestling team.
“There are no words strong enough to mend the broken hearts of this family right now. We are all truly in shock at the abrupt and unexpected loss of Josiah and we are asking for an abundance of prayers for them as they grapple with this devastating tragedy,” reads the description of a GoFundMe page for Kilman titled “Josiah Kilman’s Family in Need of Love and Support.”
The Taylor County Coroner’s Office said Kilman died of asphyxia by manual strangulation, according to preliminary autopsy results, though it remains unclear exactly how the 18-year-old was killed.
The schools reporting homicides in the last 10 days have noted measures they have taken to ensure student safety since the three separate incidents unfolded.
In a Saturday statement following Ibarra’s swift arrest in connection with Riley’s murder, for example, UGA President Jere Morehead said the university approved “the launch of some new initiatives related to more lighting, more cameras” on campus just last week.
Laken Riley, a nursing student, poses for a photo posted to Facebook. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
The university said it has invested $16 million over eight years to “hire more police personnel, design and install an extensive security camera network, enhance lighting, establish a nightly rideshare program, and create a widely used UGA Safe app.” Morehead will be meeting with campus police this week in an effort to get their insight on additional measures that may be taken to ensure student safety.
But parents, students and community members are demanding more answers.
Laken Riley smiles for a photo while running. (Laken Riley/Instagram)
“Why are there no police patrolling the campus on foot, on horseback or on trolleys? Why are there not secure transportation/escorts to move students from classrooms to parking lots, especially during testing when exams are scheduled at NIGHTS?” Marlene Clark wrote in an email to Morehead with Fox News Digital CC’d. “Why are so many of the streets so dark? THIS IS A COLLEGE TOWN! Why are there so many unattended empty lots and vacant buildings on or close to campus? My daughter’s parking requires her to walk past a run down garage with questionable activities.”
“Those who knew Laken are suffering and scared.”
Clark continued: “Those who knew Laken are suffering and scared, the parents of children who had to go back today are suffering along with them and scared. I do not trust this arrest as no motive was given. It seems like the lowest hanging fruit was selected to shut us up.”
In a comment on a Facebook post UCCS shared following Knopp’s and Motgomery’s murders, Facebook user Matt Schwabe said school “administrators failed to protect these victims.”
“Almost ignoring their repeated pleas for assistance,” he wrote. “You further failed the remaining students by allowing them to assemble on campus, knowing an armed and dangerous person was still on the loose and whereabouts unknown. By the grace of God, police found the suspect hours before the assembly. When apprehended, he was found to be in possession of a fully loaded assault rifle and handgun, a couple miles from the school. Shameful.”
Fox News’ Chris Eberhart, Michael Ruiz, Bill Melugin, and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
