Cabrini students expressed concern over the incident that occurred early Saturday morning, as it was the second to occur in less than two years. The protocol of Public Safety, Radnor Police and Emergency Medical Services on Saturday was the same as the first incident on campus. “The only difference is our welcome center. With all exits closed we were able to control our only entrance/exit which was a plus,” Director of Public Safety Lillian Burroughs said in an e-mail.
The 19-year-old victim with whom Tate was visiting was flown to the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. Police say he is listed to be in stable condition.
The Delcotimes.com accused Tate of marijuana possession last weekend in West Chester. He also has an open case involving conspiracy to armed robbery in Radnor.
Tate’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30.
“In my opinion, it is the members of the college community – students, staff, faculty, you and me – who should think first of the effect on the community before inviting someone to campus,” President Iadarola said.
The Incident
The stabbing occurred around 12:30 a.m. Sat. morning on the East Residence Hall Patio. A nineteen-year-old freshman male was assaulted by a friend he had visiting him on campus. After arguing for a little while, the suspect stabbed the male freshmen in the abdomen. 911 was called and police and ambulance arrived to the scene in minutes. The suspect fled the scene, which prompted an immediate lock down on campus.
The Suspect
20-year-old Rupert G. Tate Jr. surrendered himself to police before noon on Sat. morning. He is currently behind bars on $250,000 cash bail. He now faces charges of attempted homicide, simple and aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime. According to the Delco Times, when asked how he was doing, he described “not too good.”
The Lockdown
According to the Director of Public Safety Lillian Burroughs, they found out about the incident at 12:40 a.m. and the lockdown was enforced at 12:40 a.m. Cars returning to campus were told to go sit in WaWa’s parking lot as police and public safety searched for the suspect. The lockdown was taken off at 4:30 a.m. Students were to remain in their residence halls until further notice.
What Now?
According to President Iadarola, next semester, an emergency broadcast text messaging system will go into effect. She also feels that changing the guest policy on campus would not be beneficial. “College policy emphasizes that students are responsible for the behavior of their guests and we expect that they will consider their own safety and the safety of others when considering whom to invite to campus.”
