A Mississippi State University student is being held in the Clay County Jail with his bond set at $500,000 after allegedly stabbing another MSU student Friday in the Cotton District, David Lindley, Starkville Police chief said.
William Daniel Prince, 25, of 109 Locksley Way in Starkville’s Polo’s Apartments, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
Joseph Ryan Davis, 21, of Ocean Springs, Miss., received multiple, severe stab wounds to his torso, a news release from the SPD said.
He was transported to Baptist Regional Medical Center in Columbus by ambulance for surgery.
 Davis was listed in serious guarded condition after surgery.
Carmen Davis said Monday her son is now stable.
Prince appeared in Starkville Municipal Court on Monday.
He will return to court Thursday at 2 p.m. His bond is be ing reconsidered.
The incident began when two patrons of Rock Bottom Bar were asked to leave for behavior that distracted other customers, said Bart Lucius, Rock Bottom Bar manager and witness to the incident.
Lucius said the suspect attacked the security guard on a public sidewalk after being removed from inside the bar.
The victim of the stabbing jumped in to help the security guard, Lucius said.
Lucius said Davis was stabbed by the suspect, who took off on foot toward the Junction area of MSU’s campus.
“As soon as I saw that, I called 911, and they (the police) responded as quickly as possible,” he said.
Lindley said there are conflicting witness statements as to how and where the incident occurred.
The differences are due to witness perception, he said.
“We will gather more details as the investigation goes on and try to decipher the true facts,” he said. “But it still remains that one armed person attacked another unarmed person.”
Lindley said the SPD do believe alcohol was involved in the incident.
“The leads that we’re developing have been finalized,” he said. “We want to make sure of any further statements that go on the record.”
The investigation continues, and the circumstances leading to the incident are still being determined, the news release said.
The SPD responded to the stabbing at 11:30 p.m.
Davis was moved to the back of Rock Bottom and placed on his back until the ambulance arrived for his safety, Lucius said.
Lucius, a friend of Davis, said he hopes everything will be fine, and he has spoken to the victim since the incident.
“He (Davis) is in good spirits,” he said.
Lucius said Rock Bottom has concern for its customers.
“Safety is No. 1 priority for our customers,” he said. “We want to provide a safe and fun environment.”
Thomas Bourgeois, dean of students, said through email it is the practice of MSU to not realease information obtained from a student record about a specific student.
Federal law obligates universities to protect the confidentality of student records, which includes disciplinary records, from being released without that student’s consent, he said.
However, he said students in general are subject to the code of conduct whether they are on or off campus.
“Sanctions for those reponsible for violation of our student code of conduct can range from a warning up to explusion from MSU,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Reflector staff writer Micah Green contributed information to this article.