A recent University of North Carolina graduate allegedly drove a silver Jeep through the hub of his former campus Friday, injuring nine people. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a native of Iran, drove through one of the busiest parts of campus, the Pit, just before noon Friday, according to various releases.
Six people, five of them UNC students, were taken to area hospitals and later released after being treated for minor injuries. Three others declined treatment on the scene, according to a UNC release.
The UNC Department of Public Safety arrested Taheri-azar, and he has been charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, according to a UNC release.
The release also noted that Taheri-azar asserted his motive was to "avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world."
"The most alarming part wasn't that he's a [recent UNC graduate]," Seth Dearmin, student body president at UNC, said. "The alarming part was that the event happened to begin with."
According to UNC releases, Taheri-azar drove into the Pit, which is located in an open area of campus surrounded by the student union, two libraries and a dining hall; many students were passing through the Pit at the time of the hit and run, and a group of candidates was gathering for Black Student Movement elections.
Taheri-azar drove nearly two miles away from campus before calling police to turn himself in.
But Dearmin does not believe there is anti-Muslim sentiment on campus that could have provoked this incident.
"[Taheri-azar] purports to speak for a group of people, but he's only one person," Dearmin said.
University of Wisconsin political science professor Donald Downs expressed similar sentiments, calling the act "highly unfortunate," but also noting it is not indicative of a wider epidemic.
"I think that on the whole, Muslim relations on campus are pretty good," Downs said. "This isn't something they do every day."
Dearmin said Muslim groups on campus are constantly working to make sure Muslim students feel safe and protected.
He noted there have been mixed reactions to the incident around campus, but "students have come together in a big way."
Dearmin said college students often feel secluded in their own bubble where they "don't have to deal with the outside world."
For this reason, he said, the incident came as a shocking reality to many.
UNC student leaders met with administration Monday afternoon to discuss possible events to be put on as means for students to voice opinions and concerns. A "gathering to show solidarity" is slated for later this week or after spring break, and a panel discussion might also take place, Dearmin said.
University officials continue to emphasis the importance of campus unity throughout the aftermath of the incident.
"In times like this, it is so important for our community to pull together, remain calm and offer comfort and assistance to one another," UNC Chancellor James Moeser said in a message to the community.
The university's Counseling and Psychological Services have encouraged students, faculty and staff to seek any desired counseling assistance.
When contacted for comment, staff members at the Counseling and Psychological Services were unable to step away from their duties to talk because the need for their services had "escalated so much."
