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'There's a lot of blood': DA releases 911 calls in Winchester library attack

WINCHESTER, Mass. — As a man viciously attacked a young medical student inside the Winchester Public Library two weeks ago, bystanders rushed to help her and one man was stabbed trying to separate her from the attacker.

Deane Stryker was sitting at a table in a reading room. She was studying when police say Jeffrey Yao came up behind her with a ten-inch hunting knife and began stabbing her in the head and back, the police report states.

On Wednesday, the Middlesex County District Attorney released 911 calls from the attack.

At least three calls came into Winchester emergency dispatch reporting the attack.

"She's lying down on her back," one caller who was a library staff member says. "Oh my god there is a lot of blood."

Another caller told the dispatcher he was studying when he heard Stryker scream.

"It's safe in here, just come in the library, this lady got stabbed," he tells the dispatcher in the recording.

Two of the callers say the suspect, who callers describe as an Asian male, was kneeling on the floor with his hands in the air.

As Yao attacked Stryker, prosecutors said in court, she managed to get up and run to the front lobby, with Yao chasing close behind.

Several people even tried to step in and stop him, including a 77-year-old man who was then stabbed in the arm.

Stryker was rushed to the hospital, but later died from her injuries.

Along with the 911 calls from the DA, the Winchester Police Department released a log of all the interactions officers had with the suspect, Jeffrey Yao.

"We are releasing this information because it is in the public interest and because we believe that the public is served by the release of this information. Our officers brought this individual to a local hospital for mental health evaluations many times," Chief Peter MacDonnel said. "It is my hope that the release of this information will contribute to the dialogue on mental health in our society."

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Below is a log of all the interactions Winchester Police say they have had with Jeffrey Yao

  • 2012: The Winchester Police Department's School Resource Officer is notified of concerning material that Yao has posted while a student at Winchester High School. This includes an incident that has been covered by the media this week regarding inappropriate social media posts. Winchester Police were advised by a mental health professional treating Yao, in writing, that he did not feel Yao was a threat to others and should be cleared to return to school.
  • March 2013: Winchester Police provide information to Yao's father on the section 12 and warrant of apprehension process.
  • Nov. 13, 2013: Following a police investigation (case 271122) into Yao's behavior, police escort Jeffery Yao, with his father, to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
  • April 1, 2014: Yao reported to police that a man yelled at him while waiting in line at a local pharmacy.
  • April 14, 2014: Yao reported to police that his bicycle had been stolen from outside a local pharmacy.
  • May 20, 2014: Yao was ordered off the grounds of Winchester High School after he allegedly ran onto the field during a high school lacrosse game.
  • Feb. 24, 2016: A neighbor reported that Yao allegedly had an outburst and threw a shovel across the street, which bounced up and broke her window. The neighbor declined to file a police report, and the Yao family reportedly paid for the damages.
  • March 22, 2016: Yao called the Winchester Police Department from a hospital claiming that he kicked in the door of his family's home and should be arrested. This was later found to be untrue, and the Winchester Police Department followed up with hospital staff and the Yao family. The department's investigator asked that the Winchester Police Department be notified by the hospital when/if Yao was released.
  • Oct. 7, 2016: A healthcare worker reported to Winchester Police that Yao had made suicidal statements and they were concerned for his safety. An officer located Yao at the Winchester Public Library, and he was escorted by police to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.
  • Dec. 7, 2016: Yao came to the Winchester Police Department in the evening and said that his doctor had been threatening him and that the doctor was telling Yao he was hearing voices inside his head. Winchester Police made several attempts to reach a doctor treating Yao that evening and three more attempts the next day before they reached the doctor and reported the situation to him. The doctor told police that he would see Yao within the week and would followup.
  • June 28, 2017: Winchester Police responded to a convenience store on Main Street for a report of a suspicious person. A customer told police that a man, later identified as Jeffery Yao, asked the customer to kill him. An officer later found Yao walking on Main Street, and Yao asked the officer to kill him. Police had Yao transported to the Hospital by ambulance for a mental health evaluation.
  • Sept. 9, 2017: Yao was arrested after a neighbor called the police department reporting that a man was attempting to break into their house. Yao was located in the area by Winchester police and arrested. After he was bailed police notified his mother that Jeffery Yao needed to go to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. Jeffery was escorted to the hospital by a police officer. He later appeared in court.
  • Feb. 7, 2018: Jeffery Yao was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Winchester. There was no personal injury. One vehicle was towed.

Cox Media Group

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