Student fatally stabbed at Fort Valley State University

A Fort Valley State University student was fatally stabbed and a campus safety officer was injured Tuesday afternoon. The two were reportedly attacked by an unidentified man who was taken into custody near the main campus gate, according to a news release from the university.

Freshman Donnell M. Phelps, of Marshallville, died as a result of the stabbing. Ernest Johnson, a campus safety officer, was also stabbed during the attack, the release said. Johnson was taken to an area hospital and is in stable condition.

Officials would not release the name of the suspect taken into custody Tuesday night.

Phelps, a recent Macon County High School graduate, was studying agricultural engineering technology, said university spokeswoman Pamela Berry-Johnson. Phelps also managed the university’s tennis team.

“We are in absolute shock and mourning,” Berry-Johnson said. “We have an extremely safe campus.”

An impromptu vigil took place at 8 p.m. in the student amenities building. Grief counselors were also made available for students, the release said.

“I am deeply saddened by the senseless violence that has led to the tragic death of one of our students,” university President Paul Jones said in a statement. “My heart and the hearts of the entire Fort Valley State University community go out to the Phelps family. We likewise are concerned for the families of all other persons involved in this terrible event.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and campus police are handling the investigation, the release said.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Student fatally stabbed at Fort Valley State University."