AT least four people have been killed and several more injured in a mass stabbing in Illinois.
One person remains intubated and in critical condition at a local hospital after the attack on Wednesday afternoon in a neighborhood in southeast Rockford, city Police Chief Carla Redd said in a press conference.
WIFR 23At least four people were killed and several more injured in a mass stabbing in Illinois on Wednesday[/caption]
WIFR 23Three people died on the scene and another at the hospital[/caption]
WIFR 23Police already have a suspect in custody and are not searching for others[/caption]
WIFR 23No possible motive for the crime has been released[/caption]
Three people died at the scene and another person died at the local hospital, where five others are being treated for injuries.
“Words can’t even express my thoughts right now… this is a pretty painstaking event. My heart goes out to the families right now who are suffering a loss,” Redd said.
A mailman was killed and a good samaritan attempting to stop the stabbing was also injured but is in stable condition.
Police received a call about a medical emergency in the area at 1:14 pm and arrived on the scene to find multiple injuries.
A suspect was in custody by 1:35 pm and no other individuals are being investigated at the moment, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said.
Police said the attacks appeared to have occurred in multiple areas and included a home invasion that seriously injured one woman in Florence.
“[It’s] a terrible situation,” Caruana said.
During the home invasion, police said that the attacker entered the home of the woman, injuring her hands and face before she could escape outside.
The good samaritan attempted to help the woman, receiving minor injuries, and the woman is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Because of the number of victims and the various locations of the stabbings, police said they were working with multiple agencies at the local, county, and state level to understand what happened.
“The Rockford Fire Department wants to lend our condolences to those who are dealing with the loss and the injuries that have been sustained,” said District Fire Chief Will Peterson.
The city fire department responded to the crisis with four fire engines and five emergency medical units, he said.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara also shared his condolences with the community.
Words can’t even express my thoughts right now… this is a pretty painstaking event. My heart goes out to the families right now who are suffering a loss
Police Chief Carla Redd
“Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community. We can report that the suspect is in custody and the threat has been neutralized,” he said.
“Now that he is in custody, our primary concern is ensuring that our community members directly impacted by this violence are supported throughout their healing and recovery.”
“We are working with community partners to provide support and services quickly and conveniently to those residents. We will announce those details soon,” he added.
The State Representative for the district, Dave Vella (D-Rockford) also issued a statement sharing his grief with the community.
“I am heartbroken by the actions of the perpetrator of these horrible stabbings in Rockford today. These victims deserve to be safe and secure in their homes from violence that they didn’t ask for and don’t deserve,” he said.
“They need our support now and my office is ready and willing to do what we can to help. I am committed to working closely with Mayor McNamara and other authorities to help these neighbors of ours to address this senseless violence and ensure that justice is served.”
Police are still working on scene.
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