A knife-wielding student slashed the throat of a dean at a community college in Kansas City, Mo., this morning, minutes before the governor of Missouri was scheduled to hold a news conference just a few feet away, The Kansas City Star reported. Both the suspect and the victim, Al Dimmitt Jr., dean of instruction at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley, reportedly had been in the computer lab where the governor was to speak, along with other students and college officials. Witnesses said the student had been walking around holding a knife and behaving erratically before the incident. Mr. Dimmitt was leaving the room to summon security when the suspect ran after him and attacked him in a hallway. Mr. Dimmitt was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition after having surgery. Gov. Jay Nixon’s news conference was canceled.
This item has been updated since it was originally posted.
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10 Responses to Student Stabs Dean at Community College in Kansas City, Mo.
olivia55 - September 14, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I sincerely hope that the dean will physically recover and that they seek counseling. Sadly,we may see more and more of this since we have many students and colleagues who are mentally ill, and community colleges,as well as universities, seem to be reactive rather than proactive in addressing the psychological and physical attacks that administrators, staff, and faculty endure when dealing with these types of situations. It would be great to see what other institutions are doing–proactively–to create safer workplaces for us all.
22122488 - September 14, 2010 at 5:03 pm
It could have been much worse. Many could have been killed if the student had a gun.
dank48 - September 15, 2010 at 8:12 am
Ah, Fashionboy, please don’t say this would never have happened in China. Two years ago, at the very start of the Olympics, a crazy man murdered an American tourist.No country has a monopoly on crazy people.
drnancylbush - September 15, 2010 at 8:20 am
Ah Fashionboy, unless I am sorely mistaken in CHina the nuts seem to be attacking kindergarten children on a pretty routine basis.
aspeck - September 15, 2010 at 8:41 am
Whenever you’re having a bad day and people seem difficult, just remember: it could be worse!
22186534 - September 15, 2010 at 10:18 am
Anyone not carrying a weapon who is teaching at any level today is asking for trouble. We must take our protection into our own hands or pay the consequences.
11223140 - September 15, 2010 at 10:20 am
Not sure who Fashionboy is, or what his/her reference might have been to China or to Chinese citizens — but have we already forgotten the most recent horror at Virginia Tech, where a Chinese national cut…off…the…head of a fellow Chinese student in a coffee shop, while nearby students sipped their lattes?http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481406,00.html
physicsprof - September 15, 2010 at 10:32 am
In what follows don’t be missled by the bureaucratic speak of improving ‘safety and awareness’ on campus. Its goal is liability not safety per se. Face it you will never be safe in the present turbulent world. Your safety is you own responsibility (even legally), so think ahead and have your own plan.
belaglik - September 15, 2010 at 8:34 pm
@olivia55Sorry, but I don’t buy into the whole “poor guy was just mentally ill” crap. The article states that he was an anarchist. He was anti-government, which is probably why he chose the governor’s visit as the time to attack. And based on the mug shot, I kind of get the feeling he’s not a Glenn Beck follower or a Tea Party supporter, so don’t think we can put the blame there either. Then again, maybe he was crazy. Like the Discovery Channel terrorist, he probably watched An Inconvenient Truth too many times. That would make anyone go insane.
hawkeye515 - September 15, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Excellent sleuthing (not), belaglik. Do you teach? Are you required to handle facts in your work? If so, you may want to review the protocols.