UK student shot in apartment at University Trails
The University Trails apartments are about one mile from campus on Red Mile Road. David Stevens, a UK student, was shot Tuesday in his apartment.
December 4, 2015
By Will Wright
A UK student was shot Tuesday afternoon in his apartment at University Trails on Red Mile Road.
David Stephens, born in 1993, was shot in the abdomen after two men came into his apartment, according to Lexington Police spokeswoman Anne Welch.
Related: Stephens describes the shooting as a robbery gone wrong
Police are not yet sure of a motive and were not able to talk with Stephens about the details of the shooting until Friday morning, Welch said.
When Lexington Police arrived, Stephens was immediately driven to UK Chandler Hospital where he received treatment. The injury was serious, but Welch said Stephens was reported to be in stable condition.
Police have made no arrests, and Stephens did not give detailed descriptions of the suspects at the time of the shooting, Welch said.
The suspects were somewhat known to Stephens and did not enter the apartment by force, Welch said.
UK Chandler Hospital was not able to comment on Stephens’ status.
Representatives of both Lexington Police and the UK Police Department said they did not know Stephens was a student, but the Kernel was able to independently verify this information.
The university did not send out a UK Alert because the University Trails apartments are too far from campus to warrant an immediate threat, UK Police Chief Joe Monroe said.
UK used to lease apartments with University Trails, but that contract is no longer in effect. Monroe said the university has not leased apartments in that area since August.
Though many students live in the University Trails apartments and other apartments on Red Mile Road, Monroe said UK Alerts are only sent out when campus itself is under threat. The University Trails apartments are about one mile from campus.
UK Police sends out alerts when there are possible ongoing threats in some off-campus neighborhoods depending on the proximity to campus, such as State Street, University Avenue and East Maxwell Street.
Ordinarily, Lexington Police would tell UK Police if a student was shot, but this does not always happen immediately, Monroe said.
If the shooting were to have happened a year ago, Monroe said UK Police would have informed students through an alert.
