A 3-year-old boy and his mother were stabbed to death by a woman outside a Giant Eagle supermarket near Cleveland in Ohio in what authorities are describing as a “random act of violence.”
Bionca Ellis, 32, is now charged with murder in the incident that happened Monday afternoon in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle at 27264 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, according to city police.
“Losing one of our youngest children in such a violent and senseless way is truly heartbreaking,” North Olmsted Mayor Nicole Daley Jones said in a statement Tuesday, calling the death “a terrible tragedy for our entire community.”
Police identified the victim as Julian Wood and said his mother, Margot Wood, 38, of North Olmsted, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and is “expected to make a full recovery.”
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The North Olmsted Police Department says more charges will be filed against the suspect, Bionca Ellis. (North Olmsted Police Department)
North Olmsted Police were first dispatched to the scene around 3 p.m. on Monday after receiving a report of a “black female dressed in all black stabbing people” in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle store.
When officers responded they found Mr Ellis walking away, “still holding the knife used in the attack,” Detective Sergeant Matt Beck said. Mr Ellis was taken into custody without incident and other officers rushed to the aid of the two victims.
The boy later died at a local hospital.
“While the investigation into the motive for this attack remains ongoing, everything we know so far indicates this was a random act of violence,” Beck said. “Ellis and the victim had no prior interaction prior to this incident. Ellis is known to North Olmsted Police Department with a criminal record for theft, but has no history of violent crime.”
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Police say the double stabbing happened in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle store in North Olmsted, Ohio.
Ellis is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday, and “additional charges will be filed once the case is presented to a Cuyahoga County grand jury,” Beck said.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the loss of a young victim in yesterday’s senseless act of violence,” a Giant Eagle spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with the child, his mother and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
“We thank the North Olmsted Mayor’s Office and local emergency personnel for their unwavering dedication,” the spokesperson continued. “We are offering counseling services to our store teams and stand ready to support our North Olmsted neighbors in any way we can.”
The North Olmsted Police Department said responding officers administered first aid to both Margot Wood and her child. (North Olmsted Police Department)
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According to WOIO, last year a 63-year-old female employee at the same Giant Eagle store was shot and killed by her ex-husband, whom she divorced in 2004, in a murder-suicide.
