Suspect in Grant Towers aggravated battery now in custody

Suspect+in+Grant+Towers+aggravated+battery+now+in+custody

Suspect in Grant Towers aggravated battery now in custody

By Jessie Kern

DeKALB —  As of 6:52 p.m. Sunday the suspect has been taken into custody by law enforcement in Lansing. He is being charged with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of burglary for his illegal entering of the building, with the intent to commit a crime, according to the Safety Bulletin update.

At approximately 9:39 p.m. Saturday a stabbing occurred in Grant North Tower C, resulting in authorities issuing a warrant and the victim being transferred to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital.

Campus police released a Safety Bulletin regarding the incident at 11 p.m. Saturday, and provided a follow-up alert at 1:07 a.m. Sunday, which included a description of the suspect: a dark-skinned male, 18 years old, approximately 5 feet 9 inches, weighing approximately 145 pounds, last seen wearing black shoes, a black hat and a black jacket.

At 2:46 p.m. Sunday authorities provided further updates, detailing the issue of a warrant for the arrest of suspect Abdul Raymond Olajide Danyiwo, 18, of Lansing.

Individuals are encouraged to contact NIU Police and Public Safety at 815-753-1212 to report any known information or suspicious activity. Witnesses may remain anonymous by calling 815-753-8477.

Neither the suspect nor victim are students or in any way associated with the university but knew each other, and the altercation was the result by an ongoing conflict, according to the 2:46 p.m. Safety Bulletin update. Danyiwo was last seen wearing an Adidas jacket.

A witness to the event described the incident in an interview with the Northern Star, and said she was walking toward the elevators to Grant C Tower when she saw two men on the ground in what appeared to her to be wrestling. She said a woman was near the men before fleeing the area, and was later identified as the assaulter’s girlfriend.

“I thought that they were just messing around for a second because that’s just where my mind went, and then blood started going everywhere,” the witness said.

The witness said there was little to no visible blood when she arrived on the scene, but fled for the exit when she saw blood begin to splatter.

“I stood by the elevators, and they were still fighting, and I didn’t know what to do, so I ran toward the exit doors, and then I could hear them fighting still, and I could hear them like screaming,” the witness said.

The witness said she didn’t see the culprit stab the victim, but could hear the altercation progressing from where she stood behind the exit doors. She said she heard the victim shout something like, “Oh you’re stabbing me,” or “You’re going to stab me,” but doesn’t recall the exact comment.

The witness said the culprit ran for the exit where she stood and ran out of the exterior doors toward Stevenson Towers. Once the assaulter fled the scene, the witness re-entered the area to check on the victim.

Related: Pre-trail date set for man charged in Grant North stabbing

“I ran over to the guy and the girl who had left before she came back and she was helping him up and then he was telling me, ‘I got stabbed in the neck’ and I said, ‘Okay I’m calling the cops,’ and I called the police and then he went and sat down and then they showed up,” the witness said.

The witness said the girlfriend of the assaulter returned and then assisted the victim by holding his neck as the witness dialed 911. She said police arrived within about three minutes.

The witness said authorities didn’t interview her, but she doesn’t believe they knew she saw the altercation take place, because when police arrived they were clearing the area and informing the crowd to back up. She said she then went to the front desk at Grant to figure out if she needed to speak to authorities, but was instructed to remain there.

The witness said the victim’s friends and brother were in a game room on the main floor, near where the incident took place.

“The way [the attacker] got in, he got in with someone else, like he just ran in behind them I’m pretty sure, like he walked in with them,” the witness said.

The perpetrator entered the building illegally and intended to assault the victim, who is believed to have been in Grant Towers because his brother is a student.

 

“So I’m scared, like a lot; I have really bad anxiety, so when the whole thing was happening I was already freaking out and even though he didn’t look at me I think he saw me, so that scares me,” the witness said. “I was scared to walk out my building this morning because he could be anywhere.”