Crime Calif. Man Accused of Fatally Stabbing UCLA Student Brianna Kupfer Is Now in Custody: Police Shawn Laval Smith, the man who authorities believe killed 24-year-old Kupfer at a luxury L.A. furniture store last week, has been detained By Kyler Alvord Kyler Alvord Twitter Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 19, 2022 04:38 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Shawn Laval Smith. Photo: LAPD Headquarters Less than a day after authorities identified the man suspected of fatally stabbing a 24-year-old woman in Los Angeles last week, police have apprehended the alleged killer. On Tuesday the LAPD released video footage of an unidentified man whom they believed was involved in Kupfer's murder. By night, authorities had identified the man in the video as Shawn Laval Smith, a 31-year-old fugitive considered "armed and dangerous." Suspect Identified in Fatal Stabbing of UCLA Student Brianna Kupfer, 24 Smith was located and detained in Pasadena, Calif., on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. "We would like to thank the public, the media and our partners at Pasadena PD for their support in apprehending the suspect," LAPD tweeted after announcing his arrest Wednesday afternoon. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Brianna Kupfer. Facebook Kupfer, a graduate student at UCLA studying architectural design, was fatally stabbed Thursday while working at a luxury furniture store in L.A.'s Hancock Park neighborhood. According to a statement from the LAPD, Kupfer's attacker stabbed her with a knife before fleeing out the back door. Authorities determined that the suspect had walked into the store at random and did not know the victim. The killer's motive remains unclear. Woman, 24, Stabbed to Death While Working at Luxury L.A. Furniture Store in Random Daytime Attack Kupfer's body was discovered when a customer later entered the store and found her deceased on the floor, the LAPD stated. "I'm absolutely devastated for her and her family," Riley Rea, a co-owner of the furniture store where Kupfer worked, told the Los Angeles Times. "It just seems so disgusting and unexpected. Really there are no words to say how shocked we are to lose such a wonderful person."