“He asked somebody what their political affiliation was, they said ‘Republican’ and the guy said, ‘You are safe.’

“And then I realized what was going on and started getting people out.”

Reynolds declined to comment further to The Washington Post on Friday but referred to the quotes in the Lexington Herald-Leader story.

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Some witnesses told police the attacker asked people what their political affiliation was before striking, according to Sgt. Jervis Middleton of the Lexington Police Department, which has not yet “100 percent confirmed” those accounts as the investigation is underway and officers are still getting statements from witnesses and the suspect.

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Mitchell W. Adkins, 19, of Cincinnati was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, fourth-degree assault, and three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.

Middleton said Adkins made several threatening statements and then attacked a female student with a machete.

People inside the cafe ran out and Adkins ran out as well, where he was stopped by campus police officers after a brief struggle and taken into custody, Middleton said.

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Police had been called to the Glenn Building on campus about 8:45 a.m. for a report of an armed attacker.

“We started to scatter and then very, very quickly campus security was getting everybody sheltered and secure,” Reynolds told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “They were very on it.”

The student was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries that are not life-threatening, Middleton said.

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“She’s in stable condition at a local hospital,” said Michele Sparks, a spokeswoman for the liberal-arts college in Lexington, Ky. Another student, also a woman, had minor injuries, she said. That student was treated at the scene.

The university canceled classes for the rest of the day but remains open and has provided counselors for students and others seeking help. Classes had just begun for its May term, Sparks said.