A 19-year-old student from Long Island was stabbed to death on the campus of the University of Buffalo in what police are calling a targeted attack.
According to the University at Buffalo Police, Tyler Lewis, who was enrolled in another school at Buffalo State College, was stabbed in the chest on Campus Road around 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Lewis was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators said they believed the stabbing was the result of a fight between people who knew each other, and was not a random act of violence, News 12 Long Island reported,
Police have identified a person interested in this case, aged between 19 and 22 years, with light brown hair, medium sized and standing 5’5′ to 5’9” in height.
He was last seen wearing a mustard-yellow shirt with his face slit and blood-soaked.
Police suspect that at least four people may have been involved in the deadly brawl that led to Lewis’ death.
“Our officers and investigators are working round the clock with local law enforcement partners to bring people to justice,” campus police chief Chris Bartolomei said in a statement. “We appreciate the students and community members of UB who have already come forward with useful information to investigate.”
According to a statement from Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner to Localsyr.comLewis was a sophomore majoring in pre-business administration.
His family’s neighbors in Baldwin, New York, described him as a kind and helpful teenager, loved by all in the community.
“It’s surprising to know now that he’s gone. It’s really hard,” Ion Maravilla, who went to high school with Lewis, told News 12.