Police at the University of California Merced campus shot and killed a knife-wielding male student who stabbed five people on Wednesday. All of the victims are students of the school except one construction worker, who was remodeling a room on the school compound.

The Los Angeles Times reported that none of the victims sustained critical injuries. The local Sheriff Vern Warnke announced that they have identified the dead suspect. However, he explained that the suspect's next of kin needs to be informed of his death before his name can be released. Authorities are yet to establish the suspect's motive for the stabbing spree.

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Police investigators said that the suspect started his attack on Wednesday morning by knifing a his first victim.

The wounded worker has been identified as Byron Price. He and two of his co-workers were alerted about the ongoing commotion from a nearby classroom.

The sheriff said that Price's action during the attacks may have averted the deaths of some students. The suspect later fled the classroom, stabbing and wounding other students as he ran.

A pair of campus policemen were able to corner the suspect on a campus bridge after a chase that lasted less than half an hour, according to the university's Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

The items recovered from the dead suspect include a hunting knife measuring around ten inches in length and backpack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now coordinating the probe into the incident. Police are also conducting a thorough search on the suspect's personal effects in his quarters.

County Sheriff department said that they are thoroughly questioning all witnesses of the dramatic incident. Leland said that some of the students helped the wounded victims. She assured the students, parents and staff that the university is safe and the suspect has already been dealt with.

Some of the students have been traumatized by the stabbing incident that the school is providing counseling and transportation to those who need them.

The school was shut down on Wednesday, but is expected to open again by Friday. UC Merced has an estimated student population of more than 6,000 and currently employs more than a thousand people.

TagsUC Merced stabbing, UC stabbing spree, Byron Price, UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland, stabbing suspect shot dead