A 19-year-old was fatally stabbed at the Lincoln Tower turf fields on Ohio State's campus by a 15-year-old suspect Friday, and university officials did not send out a Buckeye Alert or Public Safety Notice regarding the crime.
The victim, who was identified as Guilliani Olguin Jacinto by the Franklin County Coroner, was pronounced dead at the Wexner Medical Center at 12:37 a.m. Saturday, according to a release from the coroner's office.
Despite the stabbing occurring next to one of the largest residence halls on campus, the public was only notified of the crime through a brief social media post by Ohio State Emergency Management at 8:47 p.m. Friday and a similar post by the Ohio State Police Department five minutes later. The posts did not specify that there was no ongoing threat.
Megan Lucas, a second-year student in biology, said she first heard of the crime through an Instagram post from the university’s student newspaper, The Lantern, and immediately told her friends who had not heard the news.
“I think a large portion of our student population also lives in that area, in the towers,” Lucas said. “And the fact that it happened on campus, and we didn't know about it was a little concerning.”
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email that campus police officers arrived on the scene one minute from when the department first received a 911 call from the campus dispatch center. According to Hedman, within minutes of arriving, officers provided aid to the victim and detained the juvenile suspect in a nearby West Stadium parking lot.
“With the suspect in custody, there was no ongoing threat and therefore no Buckeye Alert was issued,” Hedman said. “Information was posted on our Emergency Management and OSUPD social media accounts to provide general awareness of the incident to our campus community.”
According to a video from the Ohio State University Office of Administration and Planning, Buckeye Alerts and Public Safety Notices are typically sent out when there are ongoing threats, such as a suspect being at large.
Despite there being no ongoing threat, second-year biology student Sophia Sheper said a Buckeye Alert or Public Safety Notice was still necessary.
“I feel like anytime there's been something happening in the [Ohio Union], they'll send an email and they'll say, ‘oh, but the person was apprehended,’ so that at least you're aware of what was happening,” Sheper said. “Because if they didn't send out an alert about this, it makes you wonder if there were other things that sort of happened that they haven't alerted you about. And I don't know, in general, I feel like, even though it might cause more fear, at least people will be more conscious about it.”
India Snow, a third-year student in forensic anthropology, said the Lincoln Fields should follow similar rules as public parks to promote better safety when allowing access to non-OSU students.
“I think just like a public park, where they tend to have rules, where, okay, dusk to dawn, you can be there,” Snow said. “You can't be there after dusk and until dawn. So I think that something like that is okay to implement for something that is considered a public place, because, I mean, it is public so people can use it, but I think after hours, I think that that would be an okay thing to implement. I think it should be considering this [incident].”
University spokesperson Dave Isaacs said in an email steps to address this issue are being taken immediately, including increased OSUPD patrols and surveillance by Office of Student Life staff members. Additionally, open recreation will end after the final scheduled event each evening, which is typically at 10 or 11 p.m. when sports clubs or intramural teams leave the fields.
Current signage is being evaluated to ensure clear usage policies. Long-term options such as structural or technological security upgrades are also being considered.
Prosecutors are seeking to charge the teenage suspect as an adult due to the severity of the crime, Nya Hairston, director of communications and public affairs for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, said in an email. The suspect is currently being held at the Juvenile Intervention Center.
Brian Joslyn, the suspect’s attorney, said Monday during the first juvenile court hearing that the stabbing was an act of self-defense and the teen does not have any prior record, according to 10TV.
The teen suspect's next hearing is scheduled to happen on April 22 at 1:30 p.m.
