Police Reviewing Videos of Deadly Cornell Campus Stabbing

Ithaca College sophomore Anthony Nazaire died from the stabbing.

ByABC News
August 30, 2016, 3:24 PM

— -- Police in Ithaca, New York, are reviewing videos as they work to determine what led to the stabbing death of an Ithaca College sophomore on Cornell University's campus early Sunday.

Nineteen-year-old Anthony Nazaire, who had just begun his sophomore year studying business administration at Ithaca College, was stabbed along with another Ithaca student during a "large fight" on the Cornell campus after a student-organized event, Ithaca College said in a statement.

The stabbing happened when "several fights broke out" shortly before 2 a.m., Cornell University said in a statement Monday.

"These events occurred after a party at Willard Straight Hall sponsored by a Cornell fraternity, Omega Psi Phi," the statement said. "For several years the fraternity has hosted such an event during the first week of classes."

Nazaire, of Brooklyn, New York, died from the stabbing, Ithaca College said. The other victim, whose name was not released, was treated and released from the hospital, Ithaca College and Cornell said.

No perpetrators have been apprehended or identified yet, Ithaca College said Sunday.

The Ithaca Police Department is investigating. Public Information Officer Jamie Williamson of the Ithaca police told ABC News that the department has received multiple videos that show several fights, but described the scene as chaotic and said it's difficult to discern what was happening.

Williamson said police are still working to identify people seen in the videos and hope they can improve the quality of the images to get a better look at the scene.

The police are requesting more people step forward to submit videos from the incident.

Williamson told ABC affiliate WSYR-TV in Syracuse Monday that "video has helped us to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together, but not everything quite yet."

Nazaire's sister Kiara Nazaire told ABC station WABC-TV in New York that she heard from another student that a "bump" started the fight.

Anthony "was with his friend, his friend bumped the girl by accident and he apologized," Kiara Nazaire said. "Both of them apologized, even my brother apologized and didn't bump the girl."

But the situation seemed to escalate. In an attempt to avoid further conflict, Anthony and his friend "walked away," she said.

"These cowards followed them and hit his friend," Kiara Nazaire added. "Anthony tried to help his friend but he was hit, too."

Ithaca police told ABC News they have heard about the potential reason for the altercation and are looking into it.

"My deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Anthony Nazaire," Ithaca College President Tom Rochon said. "He graduated from Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School, and at IC he was a member of the executive board of Brothers4Brothers, a student organization dedicated to empowering men of color on our campus."

"I don't understand how someone could just take someone's life away like that," Kiara Nazaire told WABC. "I would see killings all over the news ... I never knew that it would have to be me crying over someone so close."

"I just hope my brother finds justice," she added.

Nazaire's funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10, in Brooklyn, New York, his family said today.