A man went on a stabbing rampage in a residential neighborhood in Northern Illinois, killing four people and wounding five in an attack that involved a home invasion and multiple crime scenes. The authorities in Rockford, a city located about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, reported that a suspect had been taken into custody. Three of the victims died at the scene, while the fourth died at a hospital. One person was in critical condition at a hospital, with four others in stable condition. The motive for the attack was unclear, and no other suspects were being sought.
Sheriff Gary Caruana of Winnebago County stated that one of the victims was a woman who was running away from the suspect after a home invasion. She and another individual who tried to help her were stabbed. The woman was in serious condition, while the man who intervened was in stable condition. Police did not reveal the identity of the suspect but confirmed that not all victims were stabbed, with no gunshots being fired. The authorities mentioned that a mailman was among those injured, and four patients were taken to a local hospital.
Mayor Tom McNamara of Rockford expressed how the community had been shaken by the incident, especially since another stabbing had occurred just a few days earlier. The episode comes on the heels of a report showing a decrease in violent crimes in the city the previous year, even though homicides had risen compared to the previous year. The police had received calls for assistance at around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, with photos from the scene showing large sections of a street blocked off by police tape as emergency vehicles arrived.
A resident, Vanessa Hy, witnessed the police taking the suspect into custody and described seeing officers bringing him down the driveway in handcuffs, covered in blood. The incident adds to the ongoing concerns about violence in the community, following a recent stabbing and a rise in homicides. Despite the shocking events, the authorities assured the public that the suspect was in custody and that there were no other individuals being pursued in connection with the attack. The motive behind the stabbing rampage remained unclear as the police continued their investigation.
