Eleven people were injured during a stabbing spree at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan, Saturday afternoon. Had it not been for the quick reaction of bystanders and FBI personnel who were able to subdue the suspect, the number of people injured would have been higher, authorities reported.
The motive behind the attack remains unknown, according to Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea.
Following the incident, which left six of the injured people in a serious condition, the attacker, identified as 42-year-old Bradford Gille of Afton, Michigan, has been arrested. He is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.
According to Shea, the suspect, who is being detained in country jail, had “prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations.”
“It appears that these were all random acts,” Shea added. “The victims were not predetermined.
“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough. When you stop and look from the time of call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute,” Shea said at the press conference. “That is remarkable. When you look at it in that mitigated Lord knows how many additional victims.”
Gille committed the attack using a folding knife near a checkout counter at about 4:45 p.m.
“Me and my sister work there. The whole store started screaming and running. There was a guy with a knife—he stabbed six people. I saw someone stabbed in the eye,” Walmart employee Tasha Nash, the Independent reported.
Another witness, Tiffany DeFell, who lives about 25 miles from Traverse City, was at the parking lot when the attack took place. “It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she told The Associated Press. “This is something you see out of the movies. It’s not what you expect to see where you’re living.”
Steven Carter, who was also at the parking lot at the time, loading his truck, said, “At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack.
“And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. And that was, it was just amazing, and it all happened fast. Like he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived.”
In a follow up statement, Walmart said they will be working close with law enforcement to help the investigation. “Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” the retailer’s spokesperson Joe Pennington said.
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