University of Texas African-American student allegedly targeted with ‘bleach bomb’

theGRIO REPORT - An African-American student at the University of Texas at Austin says he was hit with a bleach-filled balloon on the school's west campus...

An African-American student at the University of Texas at Austin says he was hit with a bleach-filled balloon on the school’s west campus recently, marking the return of similar racially motivated attacks that occurred last year.

Bryan Davis, a third-year student, told NBC-affiliate KXAN that he heard an explosion as he crossed the street, followed by a “sting” on his leg.

“I looked over, saw it was an exploded balloon and kind of almost immediately went into a shock mode,” Davis told KXAN’s Omar Lewis.

Davis says he believes the balloon was  dropped from a balcony of one of the apartment units in a building nearby.

However, this is not the first time an incident like this has been carried out on the school’s campus.

Just last year, several  “bleach bombs” attacks were made against some of the school’s minority students, which launched a police investigation and a series of campus protests.

Davis said he hopes the university takes more permanent precautions to prevent such incidents from happening again.

“I hope that initiatives are taken by the university,” Davis said, adding that he hopes “for some type of university mandated cultural awareness program.”

Investigation is underway for Davis’s case and university officials said they are working with Austin authorities and will take appropriate actions once the investigation is complete.

Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works

SHARE THIS ARTICLE