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Billie Davis: Indiana woman stabs teen student in the head several times for ‘being Chinese’

Billie Davis is currently being held at Monroe County Jail on a $100,000 surety bond and $1,000 cash bond, court records showed

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA: In a shocking case of brazen racism, an Indiana University student was repeatedly stabbed in the head on a bus Wednesday, January 11, for "being Chinese." Billie Davis, 56, admitted to the police that she attacked the unsuspecting student in Bloomington for no other reason than her race.

The suspect allegedly told the authorities that the 18-year-old, who has not been identified, "would be one less person to blow up our country." Davis, who can be seen smirking in her mugshot, was initially charged with battery after hospital workers found seven stab wounds on the victim's head. However, after being re-interviewed on Thursday, January 12, Davis allegedly admitted to using a folding knife in the racially-charged attack and was charged with attempted murder. That said, it is unclear if she will also be charged with a hate crime. Police said the attack was completely unprovoked.

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According to court documents obtained by WRTV, the victim recounted to officers how she tried to exit the bus at 4.45 pm on Wednesday, but was bludgeoned by a stranger with whom she had had no interaction during the bus ride. The police report noted that Davis spontaneously struck the student as she waited for the doors to open. Footage reviewed by investigators showed Davis subsequently walking out of the bus and away from the scene as the victim remained at the scene bleeding. An eyewitness reportedly followed the suspect in order to share her location with cops. Davis is currently being held at Monroe County Jail on a $100,000 surety bond and $1,000 cash bond, court records indicate.

Asians constitute about 10% of the population of Bloomington, a college city southwest of Indianapolis, per the US Census Bureau. “This week, Bloomington was sadly reminded that anti-Asian hate is real and can have painful impacts on individuals and our community,” Indiana University Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs James Wimbush reportedly said in a statement, adding, “No one should face harassment or violence due to their background, ethnicity, or heritage. Instead, the Bloomington and IU communities are stronger because of the vast diversity of identities and perspectives that make up our campus and community culture.”

Meanwhile, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton described the attack as a "racially motivated incident" and said his staffers were working to support the victim and the local Asian community as a whole. "I want to state categorically that here in the city of Bloomington we deplore any form of racism and discrimination, especially hate-based violence," he said in a statement released on Saturday, January 14.

The Asian Culture Center at Indiana University also condemned the attack. "We should not be fearing for our lives on public transportation. Taking the bus should not feel dangerous," the group said in a statement, adding that the attack sent "a familiar jolt" through Indiana's Asian community. The group reportedly hosted a listening circle on Friday, January 13, for affected students to share and process feelings of fear, grief and anxiety, according to NPR.