A man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart is in Michigan authorities' custody
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Chaos unfolded at a Walmart in Michigan after a man burst into the store during a calm shopping afternoon and stabbed 11 people at random, authorities say. The attack on Saturday left six victims in critical condition and a suspect in custody.
The 42-year-old suspect entered the store shortly before 5 p.m. and used a folding knife to stab 11 people, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on social media. A sheriff's deputy arrived within minutes and took the man into custody.
People in the store also helped apprehend the suspect and treat victims, the sheriff's office said.
The victims' ages weren't immediately released.
'Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn't more,' Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters.
Emergency vehicles and uniformed first responders gathered in the parking lot of the shopping center that houses several other retail stores. Authorities also were seen interviewing employees, still wearing blue uniform vests and name tags, nearby as the response gave way to an investigation.
Tiffany DeFell, 36, who lives in Honor, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) from Traverse City, said she was in the store's parking lot when she saw chaos erupt around her.
'It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,' she said. 'This is something you see out of the movies. It's not what you expect to see where you're living.'
Munson Healthcare said via social media that 11 people were being treated at the region's largest hospital in northern Michigan. Spokesperson Megan Brown said all were stabbing victims. Six people were critical and five were in serious condition late Saturday, she said.
Shea said the weapon involved appeared to be a folding-style knife. Shea said the suspect is believed to be a Michigan resident but declined to share further details. Michigan State Police had said earlier in the day that the suspect was in authorities' custody.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said: 'Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.'
Walmart said in a statement that it would continue to work closely with law enforcement in 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 statement said.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a social media post that bureau officials were responding to 'provide any necessary support.'
Traverse City is a popular vacation spot on the coast of Lake Michigan. It is known for its cherry festival, wineries and lighthouses and is about 25 miles (40 kilometres) east of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Mike Householder And Ryan Sun, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Edmonton police warn extortions, arsons targeting South Asian businesses resurging
EDMONTON — Edmonton police warned a crowded town hall on Monday night that extortions and arsons similar to ones that targeted members of the South Asian community across the city and elsewhere in Canada about a year ago have seen a resurgence in recent months. Interim Chief of Police Warren Driechel said the attacks in Edmonton had stopped after several suspects were arrested in 2024 in connection to about 40 extortions and arsons targeting affluent South Asian homebuilders and business owners. But since May, he said six more similar cases have been reported, leading investigators to believe the attacks are back and that there may be more victims. 'They're very similar activity,' Dreichel told reporters as community members left the town hall, during which police encouraged members of the South Asian diaspora to come forward if they've been targeted with extortion threats. 'There has been obviously some financial loss to people,' he said. Local business owner Ashish Verma said he felt a little relieved after attending the town hall as he was one of the people who was threatened this summer. He said he received a message from extorters demanding $100,000 and threats his children would be kidnapped if he didn't pay up. Verma said he immediately told police. But even after police got involved, he said he remains worried over his and his family's safety. 'It's very hard for me to go out. Whenever my kids want to go out alone to play downstairs or out in the garden, I tell them not to go. I try to keep an eye on them. I'm scared,' he said in an interview outside the town hall. 'I can't sleep sometimes.' Dreichel said similar extortions and arsons targeting British Columbia and Ontario's South Asian community, including homebuilders and business owners, have taken place in recent years. The investigation into the previous 40 cases of arsons, extortions, and shootings in Edmonton has been dubbed Project Gaslight. In January, EPS said its detectives completed their investigation and several suspects were arrested. Police said they were seeking to extradite Maninder Dhaliwal, the alleged ringleader of the Edmonton attacks, from the United Arab Emirates. Police have said the suspects often reached out to victims over social media and threatened violence if they didn't receive money. Several people have lost millions over the threats. Businesses have been shot. Homes have been burned down across the country. Edmonton's Interim Chief of Police Devin Laforce said in a separate news conference this month that investigators believe the cases across the country and the latest ones in Edmonton could be connected to the Bishnoi gang, led by Lawrence Bishnoi in India who has several associates in Canada. That's why Laforce said the police service supports calls from provincial governments in Alberta and B.C., and the mayor of Brampton in Ontario, to designate the gang as a terrorist entity. B.C. Premier David Eby sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney last month asking for the designation. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said this month in a statement that the gang is not welcome in the province. Laforce said the designation would help investigators look into the gang with a national focus. It allows investigators to withhold banking funds, for example, have more resources for surveillance and also deter others from joining the gang. Police at Monday's town hall told South Asian community members to report ongoing crimes to police and look out for signs of youth being involved in gang activity, alleging ringleaders of the attacks in Project Gaslight recruited youth to commit crimes on their behalf. Investigators said some of the signs include youth expressing a feeling that they don't belong and lying about where they're going and who they're spending time with. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Gunman kills 4, including police officer, in shooting at New York City office tower
New York City officials provide an update on a mass shooting inside a midtown Manhattan office building that killed at least four people.
CBC
10 hours ago
- CBC
Mass shooting at Manhattan skyscraper leaves 5 dead, including gunman
A gunman armed with an assault-style rifle killed four people inside a Manhattan skyscraper that houses the headquarters of the NFL and offices of several major financial firms and then shot himself dead, New York City officials said on Monday. One of the four victims slain in the gun violence was a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh. Mayor Eric Adams described the officer, who had been on the force for about 3 1/2 years, as a "true blue" hero. Authorities offered few details about the three other victims killed by the suspect — two men and a woman. A third male was gravely wounded by the gunfire and was "fighting for his life" in a nearby hospital, the mayor said. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27-year-old Las Vegas resident with a history of mental illness, had driven cross-country to New York in recent days. The gunman was believed to have acted alone, and investigators had yet to determine a possible motive for the shooting, Tisch told reporters at a late-night news briefing. "Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who were protecting those people," Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said at the news conference. Slain policeman a father of 2 The slain policeman, Didarul Islam, a father of two whose wife is pregnant with a third child, was working at the time as part of an NYPD program that allows its uniformed patrol officers to be assigned as security detail in commercial establishments. The shooting spree in the evening rush hour began in the lobby of the Park Avenue tower in Midtown Manhattan, then shifted to the upper-story offices of a management company as the suspect took the elevator to the 33rd floor. The bloodshed came to an end when the gunman fatally shot himself in the chest, Tisch told reporters. A photo of the suspect that CNN said was shared by police showing a gunman walking into the building carrying a rifle was published by a number of major news media outlets. Preliminary checks of the suspect's background did not show a significant criminal history, the report added, citing officials. The skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue houses offices of a number of financial institutions, including Blackstone and KPMG, along with the headquarters of the National Football League. A large police presence converged on the area around the tower, according to Reuters journalists near the scene. "I just saw a lot of commotion and cops and people screaming," said Russ McGee, a 31-year-old sports bettor who was working out in a gym adjacent to the skyscraper, told Reuters in an interview near the scene. Kyle Marshall, 38, was working at a Morgan Stanley office in a nearby Park building when his mother texted him, alerting him to an active-shooter incident, and asked if he was OK. "Then she texted me the address, and I was, like, 'Oh my God. That's right next door to my building," he said. Police kept Marshall and others inside that property on lockdown until after 8 p.m., he told Reuters. Marshall lives in the San Francisco area but comes to New York about once a month for work. "It doesn't make me feel less safe to be in Manhattan," he said. "The police responded quickly."
