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Former College Student Goes On Stabbing And Sexual Harassment Spree At Alma Mater, 1 Dead And 1 Hospitalized

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 15:12 PST, May 5, 2016

College student Donnell Phelps lost his life trying to stop a former student’s unwanted advances on three women. Yet the attacks didn’t stop there.

At Fort Valley State University, in Georgia, college students were on alert when a former attendee assaulted multiple schoolmates, including one public safety officer. According to TheBlaze, 19-year-old Donnell Phelps — one of the college students at FVSU — witnessed a stranger groping and sexually harassing three women in the college’s cafeteria. The student stepped in to stop the man’s unwanted actions.

However, at that moment, the man, 24-year-old Joseph Anthony Scott, began to stab Phelps. The source mentions that the college student suffered four wounds to the upper torso with a 3.5 inch pocket knife. Student Phelps realized the severity of his injuries and called for help. While bleeding excessively, the student attempted to run to the campus infirmary. He reached the building’s exterior and collapsed, mentions the source.

Shortly thereafter, the college student’s vital signs also started to weaken. The source notes that help arrived and rushed Phelps to a local hospital. However, due to the extent of his injuries, he died after arriving.

Yet the assailant, Joseph Scott, was still on the loose. Campus enforcement had not heard of the stabbing incident prior to Phelps’ transportation. While the college student had been awaiting help, Scott had reached campus security. Once he arrived at the gate, he knocked on the security booth’s door. Public safety officer Ernest Johnson answered, opening the door. Immediately, Scott began to assault Johnson as well, stabbing him seven times, says the source.

J.T. Ricketson, special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, notes that Officer Johnson is hospitalized with serious injuries. However, he expects that the officer will recover.

As aforementioned, Ricketson stated that Scott is a former student of the college, and he lived near the campus. The GBI agent also mentioned that the former college student was “charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony,” says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Former Fort Valley college student Joseph Anthony Scott

The Macon Telegraph mentions that Scott made a court appearance on May 5, in front of Peach County Magistrate Court Judge Lauren C. Lee. During this time, the former student shouted, “I am not a killer!” After this, he was escorted from the courtroom for other outbursts. Before leaving, the former college student stated as follows.

“I still haven’t talked to a lawyer. I still haven’t seen a nurse. I know you don’t care about me. I care about everybody, and I am a Wildcat.”

When asked to sign a court form regarding his understanding of his rights, Scott responded with the following statements.

“I’m not signing anything yet. … I understand you all are looking at me like a killer, or whatever. But I’m not a (expletive) killer. I’m sorry.”

TheBlaze notes that the college’s president, Paul Jones, mentioned as follows.

“Words cannot describe the pain that we all feel in the Fort Valley State community. We as a university will continue to come together and support each other as we always do during these difficult times because we indeed are resilient.”

Also, the source states that campus students were to hold a candlelight vigil for the fallen schoolmate. Multiple students expressed their condolences for Phelps. They only had positive comments about his life.

Freshman student Eraneshia Johnson noted that she knew Phelps and had seen him only a day prior to the incident. According to the source, Eraneshia said that he attended a surprise party she threw for a friend. She also expressed that the fallen student was always upbeat and “always gave hugs.” Likewise, Phelps generally took it upon himself to check up on his friends’ safety, says the student.

Another Fort Valley State student, Brian Ashley, states as follows.

“He was a pretty cool guy. I never seen him with a frown on his face. He was always smiling, always in a good mood.”

What are your thoughts about this college incident? Feel free to express in the comments section below.

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