Two local cities reeling from knife wielding attackers around Valentine’s Day
This St. Valentine’s Day weekend became a blizzard of arrests for Santa Clara County law enforcement, ranging from from drunk driving to domestic violence. And during the week around Valentine’s Day, San Jose Police shot and killed a knife wielding suicidal suspect, while the Santa Clara Police responded to a deadly assault of a knife wielding suspect who had stabbed another student who was living in a dorm at the University of Santa Clara.
23-year-old Phillip Watkins was apparently distraught and showed up at the home of his fiance and her mother, his 3-year-old daughter, and his mother were gathered on Wednesday, February 11. According to KRON TV, he spoke about killing himself, and then he called 911 for help. When police arrived, he rushed at them with a knife. According to spokesperson Sgt. Heather Randol of the San Jose police, officers fired their weapons after he rushed them, refusing to drop his knife. He died as a result of the gunfire. It was speculated that he may have intended to commit “suicide by cop” by forcing them to fire at him.
The next week, according to the Santa Clara Police Department, 19-year-old Dillon Kim, an undergrad student who was living at Graham Hall near the campus at Santa Clara University, stabbed his dormitory roommate on Tuesday, February 17 at around 3:30 AM. The attack occurred at the Santa Clara University Campus, where it was reported that the victim, who was sleeping at the time, was attacked by his roommate with a knife. The victim suffered from a knife wound and several lacerations.
The Santa Clara Police are being tight lipped about what brought on the attack. No motive for the attack on his roommate, and himself, with a knife is known at this time. Students at the University are being acclaimed as heroes as they entered the dorm room, helping to stop Kim’s attack, as well as helping both the victim and attacker treat their wounds.
A booking photo of Kim shows a large laceration along the front and side of his neck, with more than 30 stitches on the giant cut. Kim was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and is expected to undergo a mental health evaluation before appearing in court. The District Attorney’s Office has filed attempted murder charges against Kim for the deadly attack.
