By Eric Horng
Naperville, IL (WLS/CNN) - Friends and family gathered today to honor a man who was stabbed to death early Saturday in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago.
The family of Shaun Wild was comforted by an entire school community.
"I know you guys lost a son, but I promise that you guys just gained an entire campus family that's going to back you up," said Manny Juarez, Shaun's teammate.
Hundreds gathered at North Central College to honor Shaun, who was a former punter on the school's football team.
"It was just unbelievable how we were able to just hit it off immediately. I could immediately talk to him," said Steve Hlavac. "It was an obvious sign from God, you know."
It was shortly before 1 a.m. when the 24-year-old was stabbed in the chest at Frankie's Blue Room in downtown Naperville.
Two others were also stabbed; a bar employee, who was treated and released from Edwards Hospital, and a college teammate of Shaun's, William Hayes.
"We're a big family here at North Central College on this football team," said Hayes.
At the scene, police arrested 27-year-old Daniel Olaska of Naperville, Illinois.
"It's way too soon for any of us to say what happened. But I want you to know we're going to bring to bear any of the resources that you all think you need to make things right, to make things better," said Naperville City Councilman Bob Fieseler.
Shaun graduated from the college last spring and was a first year teacher at Naperville's Spring Brook Elementary. In his teacher's bio, he wrote, "a couple of male teachers influenced me for good at a critical time, and I want to do the same for others."
Authorities haven't commented on a motive, but witnesses say it appeared Hayes was stabbed first and Shaun was fatally wounded while trying to intervene.
WLS/CNN