Waterloo Regional Police (WRP) have charged a 24-year-old international student with multiple offences after he allegedly stabbed three people in a gender-studies class at the University of Waterloo on June 28, 2023.
The suspect, identified as Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, was arrested at the scene and appeared in court for a bail hearing on June 29, 2023.
He is facing three counts of aggravated assault, four counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and one count of mischief under $5,000.
Police say that the incident was hate-motivated.
“The accused targeted a gender-studies class and investigators believe this was a hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity,” wrote the Waterloo Regional Police.
The class had about 40 students at the time of the attack.
The victims include a 38-year-old professor, and two students, a 20-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man, both from Waterloo.
They suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident with the help of various units, including the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Unit.
They will hold a press conference at police headquarters in Cambridge at 2 p.m. to provide more details.
The University of Waterloo has issued a statement condemning the attack and offering support to the affected students and staff.
“The attack happened in a classroom during a lecture for Philosophy 202 – Gender Studies. Many news outlets and social media sources will share information on the events of Wednesday,” wrote Vice-president Academic and Provost, James W.E Rush.
“I acknowledge that many people will speculate about the motivation for this attack; we must be patient and have confidence in the judicial process.”
The WRP statement also urges anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
