Four people have died and several others have been injured after a man armed with a knife went on a rampage in a US town.
A 15-year-old girl, 22-year-old man, 49-year-old man and 63-year-old woman are among those to have died in the tragedy in Rockford, Illinois on Wednesday. The Rockford Police Department said three of them died where they were attacked and a fourth died at a hospital.
Authorities have not released the victims' names, but the United States Postal Inspection Service, a division of the United States Postal Service, confirmed Thursday that a USPS letter carrier was among the dead. Rockford police spokesperson Michelle Marcomb told CNN that five people were injured in Rockford, while two others were injured in the jurisdiction of Winnebago County.
A statement released by Rockford Police Department confirmed the victims were rushed to hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this stage. Officers were called to multiple addresses in the area of Holmes Street, Winnetka Drive and Cleveland Avenue in Rockford, Illinois at just after 1pm on Wednesday.
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A large police cordon is in place as detectives investigate the stabbings (WIFR)"We are currently working through the details of the investigation and further updates will follow as the investigation continues," the police statement reads. "The suspect, a 22-year-old male, was located in the same area and taken into custody at 1:35pm. This is a very active and multi-level, multi-agency investigation and has an extensive amount of moving parts. As with any investigation, further details and charges may come at a later date."
Christian Soto, 22, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder following the attacks, report BBC. Soto is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Christian Soto, 22, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder following the attacks (WIFR)Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said she believes Soto acted alone. "We don't believe there's any other suspects that are on the run or at large at this particular time," Redd said Wednesday. "Right now, we don't have a clear motive as to what caused this individual to commit such a heinous crime."
She said residents were being asked to review home surveillance footage for anything related to the attacks. Redd confirmed not all of the victims found at multiple addresses in the city had stab wounds and none were shot.
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The motive of the attack is unclear, police have said (WIFR)Sheriff Gary Caruana said Wednesday that Soto was with a woman when he was arrested, and that the suspect had attacked her and a bystander. "The young lady ran from him," Caruana said. "She got some stab wounds in her hands and her face. She is in serious condition. One of the good Samaritans stopped to help her out. He did get some stab wounds. He is being checked out."
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara wrote on the city's Facebook page that "multiple jurisdictions" were "working on multiple crime scenes to develop an understanding of what transpired in an effort to prevent this from happening again." "Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community," McNamara said.
He added: "Our primary concern is ensuring that our community members directly impacted by this violence are supported throughout their healing and recovery." The city of Rockford planned to hold a vigil Thursday afternoon for the victims hosted by local faith leaders, the city said.
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