A message from President Lois B. DeFleur:
The past few days have been very difficult for our entire University community. Friday afternoon's tragic events have shocked and saddened all of us. We honor the memory of Professor Richard Antoun, a much-loved and respected faculty member, and celebrate a life dedicated to intellectual discourse and discovery. He has left us a legacy of achievement that will be remembered for many years. On behalf of the entire Binghamton University community, I want to again express our deepest sympathy to his family, colleagues and friends. We mourn with them and share their profound sense of loss.
Binghamton University is a safe campus, but we are not immune from the acts of senseless violence. As I noted previously, our New York State University Police and safety personnel, including the student-run Harpur's Ferry Ambulance Service, responded quickly and efficiently to this incident. The suspect, Abdulsalam S. Al-Zahrani, was quickly apprehended and the building evacuated and locked down. This incident was isolated and contained to a wing of the Science 1 building and there was no immediate danger to the rest of the campus community. Al-Zahrani has since been charged with the crime of murder in the second degree and is in the Broome County Correctional Facility.
NYS University Police continues to investigate the incident along with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and the Broome County District Attorney's Office. The tragic nature of this event has caused a lot of conflicting and inaccurate information on campus and in some media reports. Thus, I urge anyone who has information related to this crime or who might have had recent contact with the suspect or the victim, to contact NYS University Police at 607-777-INFO (4636) or e-mail atpoliceinfo@binghamton.edu
I would also like to encourage any member of our campus community who is experiencing stress as a result of this incident to make use of the services available from our Counseling Center. The Counseling Center can be reached at 607-777-2772.
I also strongly encourage the campus community to sign up for our emergency text and e-mail alert system. Binghamton University uses Rave Wireless and sign-up information may be found athttp://www2.binghamton.edu/banner/rave.html . If you have questions, contact the University's Help Desk at 607-777-6420 or Call Center at 607-777-2000.
The University is planning a memorial event and I hope you will join me in honoring Professor Antoun. More information will be made available as soon as these plans are finalized.
Our campus culture is built on core principles of discovery and education, and bound together by a shared commitment to diversity. Members of our community come from all parts of the state, the nation and the world. As we reflect on this terrible tragedy, I urge you to join with me in pledging our continued commitment to these principles so that through peace and intellectual pursuits we can continue to be the kind of community that chooses understanding and respect over hatred, violence and fear, which is what Professor Antoun advocated in his work.