A college professor in Washington state was fatally stabbed after protecting his girlfriend, who was the attacker's original target, CBS reported.
Troy Wolff, 46, and his girlfriend Kristin Ito, 30, were walking back from a Seattle Sounders game at Century Link Field on Friday night when they were attacked. After Ito was initially stabbed in the torso, Wolff tried to defend her but was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and died on Saturday.
A 44-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene where he was standing near the victims as authorities arrived, according to Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel. He was transported to King County Jail where he was booked pending the murder investigation.
"There are indications that the suspect was operating at a diminished mental capacity," Kappel said.
Wolff taught at Shoreline Community College and was the head of the English department. His girlfriend was reportedly in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center late Saturday afternoon.
At 10:32 p.m. on Friday, SWAT and gang-unit officers responded to a 911 call about the stabbing. Police reports say Wolff "attempted to intervene and the suspect turned on him and began stabbing the male victim repeatedly in the neck and torso."
Paramedics from the fire department transported both victims to the hospital.
In an interview with a local news station, Wolff's family said they forgive the person who killed their son.
"He'll always be a hero," Wolff's mother, Pamela Wolff, told the station.
His brother, Tony Wolff, said he doesn't resent his brother's killer and is proud he died defending someone he loved.
"I don't have any ill feelings or hatred towards the killer. I've forgiven him," he said of the attacker.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay his life down for his friends. And that summarizes what Troy's life was about," his brother added as he read aloud a line of scripture.
Wolff's former colleagues are equally mourning his death.
"A college is like a quilt, all the patches fitting together," said Kathie Hunt, Interim Dean of Humanities, in a statement. "Troy was a very big piece of our quilt. Eventually, we'll figure out a way to mend it, but it will never be the same."
