PALMDALE, Calif.—The victim of a fatal stabbing was identified by the coroner’s office as 18-year-old Erwin Velasquez of Palmdale.

Velasquez was stabbed to death last Wednesday in the 38500 block of Larkin Avenue in Palmdale, said Jerry McKibben of the coroner’s office.

Authorities responded to the assault in progress at about 8:15 p.m. a few blocks West of Sierra Highway and found Velasquez suffering from stab wounds, said Lt. Steve Gross of the Palmdale Station.

Horace Mitchell, Ph.D., president of California State University Bakersfield believes in excellence. Serving his seventh year as president of the 8,000-student campus, Mitchell is also an advocate of higher education.

“Education is a prerequisite for individuals to be able to fully take advantage of opportunities, not just locally but in the world,” Dr. Mitchell said. “It provides a foundation for a good quality of life and supports economic development in the region.”