LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department (UNLPD) is investigating an early Sunday morning assault on campus as a hate crime targeting the LGBTQA+ community.
According to an UNLPD safety bulletin sent to students and faculty, the incident occurred between 2:00-2:15 a.m. on the sidewalk of North 16th Street outside of Jorgensen Hall (855 N 16th St.).
Several parties told officers they were walking when an unknown male approached them, made derogatory comments about the LGBTQA+ community, and assaulted one of the members of the group. The suspect then fled the area on foot.
The suspect is an 18–22-year-old white male, short brown hair, black T-shirt, jeans and brown cowboy boots.
UNLPD says a hate crime is defined by the Clery Act as a criminal offense that manifests evidence based on sufficient objective facts that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator’s bias against the victim. The categories of bias in the Clery Act are race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.
A list of campus safety resources can be found at safety.unl.edu. Call UNLPD immediately at 402-472-2222 (2-2222 on campus) to report information on this incident, or on any crime or suspicious activity or person. If you have any questions about this message, please contact the UNLPD at the phone number above or email unlpd@unl.edu
Story provided by KLIN.
