Student killed in UT Austin stabbing identified as 2016 Graham ISD graduate

At a news conference Monday, UT President Gregory Fenves told students to call home and let their parents know they were safe.

"Earlier this afternoon, a tragedy struck the heart of the University of Texas campus," Fenves said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of this incredibly senseless attack."

UT announced at the beginning of the school year that it'd make sweeping security upgrades after a campus murder, the first at the university in nearly 50 years, which shook the community.

Meechaiel Criner, a homeless 18-year-old, allegedly killed freshman ballet student Haruka Weiser in April 2016. She was found in Waller Creek behind Gregory Gym, the scene of Monday's rampage.

In September 2010, chaos struck the same area of campus when 19-year-old Colton Tooley fired an AK-47 outside and went into Perry-Castañeda Library, where he fatally shot himself. No others were injured.

The UT Tower, which looms nearby, was the site of the 1966 shooting where student Charles Whitman killed 14 and injured 31. He also killed his wife and mother the previous night.

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that prayers go out to all those affected by Monday's tragic events in Texas, including the UT stabbings and the shooting of a paramedic in Dallas.

"I have been briefed by the Department of Public Safety on both incidents, and have also talked to University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves," Abbott said. "As the investigations into these heinous crimes continue, I have offered all available state resources to both Dallas and the University of Texas to assist in any effort."