FULLERTON (CNS) - The suspect in the fatal stabbing of a retired Cal State Fullerton administrator in a campus parking lot was at-large this morning.
Police said Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57, of Hacienda Heights was the victim of a targeted attack after he was found with multiple stab wounds inside a silver Infiniti sedan parked in a lot outside an administrative building in the 600 block of Langsdorf Drive about 8:45 a.m. Monday, according to Fullerton police Lt. Jon Radus.
A witness called 911 and described the suspect as a man in his mid-20s with black hair, wearing a black shirt and black pants, Radus said. The suspect was last seen running north on Langsdorf and then east on Nutwood Avenue, Radus said.
Orange County Sheriff's Department bloodhounds were being used to help search for the suspect, Radus said.
Fullerton police later summoned a bomb squad to check a backpack that was found underneath the victim's car. The bomb squad later found an incendiary device inside the backpack, along with tools that could be used in a kidnapping, police said.
Radus said both the victim and suspect were of Asian descent, but it was still unclear what motivated the crime.
“We do not know the motive at this point,” Radus said, adding that investigators believe the victim was “targeted” by his assailant.
“We do not believe there is a random stabber on the loose at this particular time,” Radus said.
The victim had not received any specific threats recently, Radus said.
Radus initially described the victim as a retired faculty member who had returned to the campus, working in international student admissions. CSUF officials later called him “a retired administrator working as a consultant on campus.”
University President Fram Virjee issued a statement about the stabbing Thursday night.
“It is with such a heavy heart and a deep and profound sense of sadness that I inform you that our colleague and friend, Steven Chan, a beloved and long-serving member of the Titan Family, passed away this morning after a tragic and senseless attack in the parking lot behind College Park,” Virjee said.
Virjee said he did not personally know Chan or work directly with him, but had talked with those close to him and discovered “it is clear that he was beloved for his commitment to and passion for both Cal State Fullerton and our Titan Family.”
Virjee requested thoughts and prayers for Chan and his family.
“Life is so precious and family and friendships so dear,” Virjee added. “In the coming days, weeks, and months, we will all honor and remember Steven in our own way.”
University officials said counseling and support services were being offered for anyone needing such assistance.
The killing came on the day that authorities with the Cal State Fullerton Police Department were scheduled to film an active-shooter educational video on the campus, aimed at helping students and staff prepare for emergencies. That filming was canceled in light of the crime.