A woman has been arrested in the stabbing of an 18-year-old Indiana University student that occurred on a public bus in Bloomington, Indiana.
Billie Ranard Davis, 56, of Bloomington, is charged with first-degree attempted murder and multiple battery counts after she approached the student as she was waiting to exit the bus and began stabbing her repeatedly in the head on Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by the Washington Post.
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Davis told police that she targeted the student “due to [her] being Chinese,” a probable cause affidavit said. It also stated that the woman “made statements that race was a factor in why she stabbed her.”
The affidavit said Davis told a detective that she attacked the student because it would be “one less person to blow up our country.”
Security camera footage showed that the student and Davis had no interaction to cause the attack, the affidavit said. Davis allegedly stabbed or attempted to stab the student about seven times before returning to her seat on the bus.
A witness followed Davis on foot after she exited the bus until police arrived to arrest her sometime after 4:45 p.m.
The student is receiving treatment at a Bloomington hospital for several head wounds, and her condition has not been released.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton released a statement on Saturday condemning the attack.
“Following the brutal attack of a member of our community, I want to state categorically that here in the city of Bloomington we deplore any form of racism and discrimination, especially hate based violence,” Hamilton wrote. “This behavior is not acceptable and will be dealt with accordingly.”
“We know when a racially motivated incident like this resonates throughout the community, it can leave us feeling less safe,” the mayor continued. “We stand with the Asian community and all who feel threatened by this event. Our staff will continue to do all we can for the victim and the larger community.”
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The Washington Examiner has reached out to Bloomington Police Department for comment.
