A UT student was arrested and charged with attempted murder on Sept. 27, according to the UT crime log. The attempt occurred in Laurel Residence Hall at 1516 Laurel Ave. around 3 a.m. Friday.

Michael Francis, a freshman kinesiology major, was arrested on two charges — attempted murder and criminal trespassing — after having an altercation with another student. 

The arrest was made at Laurel Hall where the assault took place, according to UTPD. When officers arrived at the scene soon after 3 a.m., they were given the description of the suspect, Francis, and took him into custody. He was then booked into Knox County Regional Jail.

The other student involved was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The student’s name has not been released. 

A clery compliance alert was not sent out given the immediate identification of the suspect. 

Kerry Gardner, director of media and internal relations, shared a statement with The Daily Beacon regarding on-campus safety. Here is the full statement:

“The safety and well-being of our campus community is our top priority. While this incident involved known acquaintances who got into an altercation, we want our campus community to stay safe. 

UTPD has tips and resources for students to stay safe on and off campus on its website. That includes the importance of having situational awareness of what’s going on around you.

 The university encourages all campus community members, visitors, and parents to download the campus safety app, Safe at UT. It allows you to call or text UTPD, file a report with several campus agencies, and report any suspicious activity. UTPD can be contacted directly at 865-974-3114.” 

This is a developing story and will be updated as we receive more information. 

This story has been updated to reflect the purpose of a clery compliance.