OAN’s James Myers
8:35am – Thursday, March 28, 2024
A man stabbed four people and injured seven others in Rockford, Illinois, on Wednesday.
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Mayor Tom McNamara called the killing a “random and senseless act of violence.”
A 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man died, and the others were taken to hospitals with “serious injuries,” Rockford police said. the ministry said in a news release Wednesday evening.
A mail carrier was among the dead, authorities and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said.
Meanwhile, a 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody, but police said they were not searching for others involved in the violence at “multiple scenes”.
“Words can’t even express my thoughts right now,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd told reporters. She said the suspect had committed a “heinous crime.”
Additionally, five people were injured in the city of Rockford and two people were injured in the Winnebago County area, Rockford Police Public Information Officer Michelle Marcomb said. CNN.
“There is no clear motive as to why this individual committed such a heinous crime,” Redd said.
Red said authorities received a call for medical assistance at 1:14 p.m., followed by a call for further assistance.
Sheriff Gary Caruana said a woman was stabbed in the hand and face as she tried to escape during a home invasion in a Rockford neighborhood.
“She suffered stab wounds to her hands and face,” he said. “She is currently in the hospital and is intubated. She is in critical condition.”
Caruana said a good Samaritan who stopped to help the woman also suffered stab wounds. “He’s fine. He’s being tested,” the sheriff said.
Police also said that not all of the victims were stabbed or had gunshot wounds, but did not say how the other victims died or were injured.
“I am completely shaken by this act of violence and the impact it is currently having on the lives of multiple families,” Mayor McNamara said in a statement.
McNamara said counselors will be at Flynn Middle School on Thursday and Friday to help those affected by the tragedy.
“It’s hard to understand how something like this could happen and how emotional and raw the community was tonight,” the mayor said in a Facebook post. “As a father, son, husband, mayor, and supporter of Rockford, my heart breaks for those who lost their lives, their families, and our community.”
Police said the investigation is still ongoing.
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