Rockford stabbings leave 4 dead, 5 injured
Four people were killed and five wounded in a stabbing attack Wednesday in a residential area of Rockford. A suspect is in custody.
Associated Press
Four people were killed and five were hurt in stabbing attacks in Rockford on Wednesday, authorities said.
A man is in police custody and was being questioned Wednesday afternoon, according to Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd. She said one of the people who was wounded remained in critical condition, and the other victims were in stable condition.
Rockford police received a medical call about 1:15 p.m. to a residential area near Cleveland Avenue, Holmes Street and Eggleston Road, followed by additional calls for police and paramedics, authorities said.
UPDATE: An adult male attacked and stabbed multiple individuals in the area of Cleveland/Holmes/Eggleston. The alleged suspect is in custody. Further updates will be posted here.
— RockfordILPolice (@RockfordPD) March 27, 2024
Redd said that not all of the victims had stab wounds. None were shot.
The suspect was arrested by a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy, Sheriff Gary Caruana said.
A neighbor said she witnessed the arrest Wednesday.
“All of a sudden, we heard police run up on both sides of the house screaming ‘Stop! Get down!’” Vanessa Hy told WREX-TV. “Then they ran into a backyard and after a few minutes we saw them bringing the suspect down the driveway in handcuffs, and he was very bloody.”
“It was like a movie, you know, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Hy added.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara wrote on the city’s Facebook page that “multiple jurisdictions” are “working on multiple crime scenes to develop an understanding of what transpired in an effort to prevent this from happening again.”
The violence Wednesday came days after a teenage employee of a Walmart in Rockford was stabbed to death inside the store.
“Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community,” McNamara added. “We can report that the suspect is in custody, and the threat has been neutralized. 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.”
Rockford officials are providing counseling services “in an effort to support loved ones and families of the victims, as well as residents of this neighborhood,” the city said.