An 18-year-old Indiana University student was targeted and stabbed on a bus in Bloomington for being Asian, according to police.
The 18-year-old from Carmel, Indiana told investigators that while waiting for the doors of a Bloomington transit bus to open, another passenger began to strike her repeatedly in the head, police said in a statement.
Billie Davis, 56, told the Bloomington Police Department that she used a folding knife to stab the 18-year-old in the head and targeted her for “being Chinese,” adding “it would be one less person to blow up our country,” according to court documents.
Police said that based on video, Davis and the victim had no interaction before the attack. The footage shows Davis unfolding the knife and stabbing the student “approximately seven times” before she left the bus, court documents say.
The student had multiple stab wounds to her head, was bleeding and was transported to a hospital, police said.
Davis has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery by means of a deadly weapon, according to online court documents.
It wasn’t clear if the defendant had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf. The public defender’s office for Monroe County, Indiana didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This week, Bloomington was sadly reminded that anti-Asian hate is real and can have painful impacts on individuals and our community,” said James Wimbush, Indiana University vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs. “No one should face harassment or violence due to their background, ethnicity or heritage. Instead, the Bloomington and IU communities are stronger because of the vast diversity of identities and perspectives that make up our campus and community culture.”
The university is providing counseling support to members of the community who need it.
The university’s Asian Culture Center called the attack “a horrific and targeted anti-Asian hate crime.”
“Our thoughts go out to the…
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