The suspect in this morning's Leigh Hall stabbing has died after police shot him as he ran at them with a hatchet.
Gainesville Police spokesman Ben Tobias identified the deceased suspect as Michael Cravey, 28.
No officers were harmed, according to the Gainesville Police Twitter. The confrontation took place in the Best Buy parking lot.
At about 7 a.m., a white man approached a husband and wife getting out of their car in the parking lot behind Leigh Hall at the intersection of West University Avenue and Buckman Road, said UPD spokesman Maj. Brad Barber. Leigh Hall is a chemistry building near Library West.
After a brief discussion, the man pulled out a knife and began stabbing the husband, who isn’t a UF student, Barber said. The suspect then drove from the scene in a black Jeep.
The husband was taken to UF Health Shands for his injuries.
Officers chased the suspect through campus then through the city. When the suspect started running red lights and driving the wrong way on Newberry Road, police deemed the pursuit was deemed too dangerous to continue.
Police closed Buckman Drive from West University Avenue to Union Road near Little Hall, but they reopened it at about 9:30 a.m.
The university is on Spring Break this week. Usually, classes start at 7:25 a.m. First-period courses in Leigh Hall include General Chemistry 2 (on Tuesdays) and Biophysical Chemistry Lab (Thursdays).
The last stabbing on UF's campus happened near Leigh, as well: In 2012, two men were stabbed in the parking lot of Flint Hall. Three men were later arrested and charged.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
