Sigma Nu Stabbed in Head Outside Chapter House
 

Student stabbed; no arrests made

Victim in critical condition, friend says; two wanted for questioning
By Megan Nichols
Student Life Editor
September 13, 2004


UA student Kirk Wilder, 21, was stabbed in the head in front of the Sigma Nu fraternity house at about 2 a.m. Saturday, officials said. He is a member of the fraternity.

According to an informational advisory issued by the University of Alabama Police Department, the assault followed an altercation during which two uninvited individuals were asked to leave the area.

Wilder was stabbed during an incident on the lawn, rushed to Druid City Hospital and then transferred to the UAB Medical Center, the report said.

Nellie Millsap, a junior business major and friend of Wilder's, said Wilder was in a coma Sunday night and was in critical condition.

Millsap said Wilder's family and friends are thankful for people's concern over Wilder, but that UAB officials were asking everyone to stop calling the center with inquiries about his condition. "[UAB center is] being flooded with calls and it makes it harder [for doctors and nurses] to treat their patients," she said.

Tracy Birchoss, spokeswoman for UAB, said she could not release any information regarding Wilder's condition. Due to new federal laws, patients can choose whether information will be released, Birchoss said, and Wilder's family opted not to have reports given.

Margaret King, UA vice president for student affairs, said the last word she heard about Wilder was "encouraging."

"We know that he did have surgery [Saturday] morning, that he came through that surgery, but that right now he is in a waiting period, waiting to see how he responds and what happens, and so it is a tense time, but there's a lot of hope," King said. "And unfortunately, that's the way things go. It's a wait-and-see proposition."

The Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit and the UAPD are conducting the investigation into the matter and have made no arrests so far. Wanted for questioning are two black males, both between the ages of 20 and 30. One was wearing a white T-shirt and the other a navy L.A. Lakers jersey, according to the report.

One man was being called Reginald or Reggie and the other went by the initials K.G., the report said.

Cathy Andreen, UA spokeswoman, said Sunday afternoon that as far as she knew, nothing in the investigation had changed since the informational advisory was issued Saturday morning.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of these individuals is asked to call Tuscaloosa Crimestoppers at 752-STOP, the Homicide Unit at 752-0616 or UAPD at 348-5454.

UAPD and the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit could not be reached for comment this weekend. Sigma Nu President John Lindsey also could not be contacted.

In an written statement, King said the University's first priority is students' safety. "We have meetings set for Monday and Tuesday to make sure that our practices provide the safest environment possible for our students," King said. "I am particularly heartened by the response by UA fraternities and their willingness to make sure their practices assure safety for members and their guests. And I am impressed by IFC's [Interfraternity Council] leadership toward that end."

IFC officials agreed to a review of event protocols and said they would consider hiring private security to enforce guest lists at parties, King said.

The University wants to help ensure an incident like this does not happen again, King said in a statement.

"This is a shocking and terrible incident," she said. "It was an unpredictable, isolated incident that jars us in many ways. Our hearts are with Kirk's family and friends."

Please keep him in your prayers & thoughts.

My thoughts and Prayers for Him and his Family.

I was horrified to hear of the incident. I am definitely praying for him. Every time I've driven by the Sigma Nu house there's been a TV reporter on the front lawn.

This is so sad. I hope that he recovers.

It's amazing that stuff like that can happen. One of our guys hung out at the 'Bama house last year during the OU-Alabama game. Really was impressed with the guys there. I can't even imagine what I'd want to do the animal that did this. Those of you that are against capital punishment, well, here is a good reason why it exists.

That's crazy.

As far as I'm concerned, since his name is Reggie the most likely culprit is Reggie Miller.

Perhaps humor isn't the best for this thread, but in all reality I can't imagine what the heck is wrong with some people to do this. I don't understand what it takes to want to hurt someone and kill them - and to want to do it in such a brute manner. This is awful and I hope the man lives and recovers and they are punished.

-Rudey

Yeah the Sigma Nu guys here are first rate gentlemen. You don't see beer cans and passed out drunks in their front lawn, which isn't the case for all of our fraternity houses on campus. Unfortunately, it's not amazing that this happened (though it deeply troubles me) because as of late the Strip (the row of bars, stores and restaurants that basically start next to the SN house) has become the thug hangout du jour. I avoid it because it's become a dangerous place to be, especially on football weekends. It was likely the work of two thugs and it just happened that the SN house was the first one they came to. I sincerely hope the University and the City takes steps to keep these subhuman lowlifes away from our campus and give us back our Strip.
If anything new develops I'll post a link to the story

That is whack! :mad:

I will keep him in my thoughts. :( Please keep us posted on the situation

Thank you swissmiss.

"Of course, it's those DAMNED GREEKS causin' a commotion again. All they do is drink & pee & fornicate on our lawns...sometimes at the same time! Serves 'em right."

The sad thing is, there are probably people that hear about this incident on the radio, see it on CNN or read about it in the paper and have this exact thought pattern. Many of these same folks were delighted to see Robert Kennedy get killed because he was "a radical".

"What was that punk doing out so late at night? If he was normal people, he'd be in bed by 10PM."

For all we know, this gentleman was coming home from work because he's taking a 16-hour load and working a 40-hour week to be able to afford being in college in the first place. It sounds like a wrong place/wrong time scenario.

Nobody can dispute this is a sad incident...I'm praying for him. However, because of the location of this incident, the public automatically associates "frats & sororities" with less-than-reputable events. If this had happened in front of a dormitory to a non-Greek, it'd make the news for a day or two and disappear.

Let's all pray for this man and for the perpetrators. We should also "live our rituals" so that we can look the naysayers straight in the eye and tell them that we're trying to live to a higher standard.

Interfraternally,
BF

UPDATE
 

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/p.../40913003/1007

Here's a link to a story (registration is free, but required) in the Tuscaloosa News. Apparently one of the suspects was apprehended and arrested in Missouri.

Without question this guy's life has been pretty much destroyed. I hope justice is done to the punk that did this. Maybe some good can come of this and Tuscaloosa will take action to clean up that part of town.

There's a pattern growing here I think. Here, the thug life and military come from down South and try to get into our parties. They always try to BS their way in, saying they know someone in the house or that they were invited. When they get turned away, shit gets ugly.

I think if university admins stopped coming down on us and started seeing that all of the incidents (at least around here) are instigated bybnon greeks, then we'd be more willing to comply.

Sure, it can be said that we often let these people into our parties, but if we had adequate security that didn't try to be wannabe cops all the time, maybe these things wouldn't happen.

Anyway, I hope this punk gets what's coming to him. My condolences for the snake and his family. He was only doing what anyone who cares about RM would have done.