11 stabbed at northern Michigan Walmart; suspect in custody
None of the 11 stabbing victims has died, but three are undergoing surgery following the attack that occurred around 5 p.m. EDT, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.
The lone suspect used a folding knife in what appeared to be a random attack, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea told the Record-Eagle.
The suspect 'appears' to be a Michigan resident, Shea said during a press conference.
A group of bystanders, including at least one armed with a pistol, confronted the suspect and forced him to drop the knife while awaiting a police response, video footage posted by WZZM shows.
Michigan State Police crime lab investigators are helping to gather and analyze evidence at the crime scene, which is located in the Grand Traverse Crossing mall in the southwestern portion of Traverse City.
The stabbing victims were taken to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, where five are in serious condition and six are in critical condition.
'We are working closely with local authorities and emergency services to ensure the best possible care for those impacted,' hospital staff said.
Traverse City is a popular vacation destination at the southern end of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay in northern lower Michigan.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a potential 2026 presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, moved to Traverse City in 2022.
The city had a year-round population of 15,707 in 2023, but the population there and in nearby communities swells greatly during the summer months.
It's known for beautiful sandy beaches, great freshwater fishing and hosting an annual National Cherry Festival that runs from the end of June through the Independence Day holiday.
Traverse City is located 150 miles north of Grand Rapids and 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Viral Walmart Video Shows Gun-Wielding Bystander Stopping Stabbing Suspect
The suspect in the mass stabbing attack at a Traverse City, MI, Walmart store is seen in a viral video that shows a bystander stopping him at gunpoint as other heroic citizens also intervened. The founder of a local scanner page wrote on Facebook that two Marine veterans were involved in stopping the suspect, who was named by the sheriff as Bradford James Gille. Matt Kolakowski, a former Marine, spoke to CNN about helping to stop Gille. 'I thought to myself, 'Well, I don't got no weapon, so what am I going to do?' So, I just grabbed an empty grocery cart and just took off after him as hard as I could,' Kolakowski said to CNN. Derrick Perry was named as the armed bystander on the Overheard in Traverse City Facebook page, information which was confirmed by two relatives online. Kolakowski confirmed to CNN that a second former Marine was involved in stopping the suspect. The sheriff was asked by a reporter about Derrick Perry at the news conference, but he declined to confirm any bystanders' names. The mass stabbing attack, which the sheriff called "random," left 11 people injured in the hospital. The motive is still not clear, the sheriff said in a news release. CNN authenticated the video, which shows the suspect being surrounded by bystanders in the parking lot. One is pointing a gun at him, and another man is pushing a shopping cart. The sheriff, Mike Shea, called what the bystanders did "amazing" and said he knows the "video is out there." Derrick Perry, Matt Kolakowski, and the other bystanders are being called heroes online The bystanders are being lauded as heroes online. "Thank you Derrick! You are a hero!" a person wrote on X. "An incredible American," wrote another person. "This is Derrick Perry ! He is the hero from today's stabbing at Walmart , he is the man that took his gun out and risked his own life to save many lives ! Thank you so much Derrick," the post on the Overheard in Traverse City page says, sharing Perry's photo. "So happy to be this man's daughter in law! True hero! So proud of him for protecting so many today," a woman wrote on the comment thread. That woman's husband wrote, alongside a photo of Perry, "Proud to have you as my step-dad." Lisa Judi Sherm, founder of the Facebook page Greater Grand Rapids Scanner Calls, wrote on Facebook that "the assailant was beginning to flee after his rampage, but was met in the parking lot by several brave citizens." "One of those individuals to take down the attacker, Matthew.K of Kent City, MI, was in town for a family vacation. His family made a stop to the store for some supplies and had just finished checking out, when a store employee shouted the dire warnings over the intercom. 'There's a man with a knife!!'' she wrote. "As they exited the store, Matthew saw the attacker had injured 2 people including an elderly woman. Matthew directed his young daughter to stay back, and went into Marine Mode." She added, "Matthew is a veteran of the Marine Corps and has extensive training and experience in high stress situations. Without much hesitation, he grabbed a nearby shopping cart and rammed it straight into the achilles tendon of the assailant, causing him to fall forward. Thankfully Matthew (in the purple shirt) didn't act alone. He had the assistance of another citizen, who just so happened to be a Marine veteran as well, and held the attacker at gunpoint, until he dropped the knife. Thats when multiple people tackled him until PD arrived moments later, taking the 42 year old attacker into custody." Officials at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City said in a Facebook statement that they are treating 11 victims. "I want to acknowledge that there was citizen involvement in taking the individual into custody," Shea said in a news conference. "We'll have more information on that later." He said the attack initially started "near the checkout area." The New York Times quoted a witness as saying people were also stabbed at the Walmart pharmacy area. According to Shea, authorities were not familiar with the suspect before. The sheriff said in the news conference that authorities were on the scene within three minutes of the first 911 call. What's known about the Walmart suspect The sheriff said the suspect is a 42-year-old Michigan resident. These are "random acts," said Shea. "We believe he acted alone at this time." The weapon appears to be a "folding knife," Shea said. There are six male victims and five female victims. Three are undergoing surgery, and their conditions were not clear, he said. The victims were not named. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families," said Shea. Shea said he could not comment on whether there were any mental health concerns. The sheriff said he did not want to provide any further details about the suspect's background. The Michigan State Police confirmed on X that the stabbing had occurred. "Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office is investigating a multiple stabbing incident at the Wal-Mart in Traverse City. The suspect is in custody, details are limited at this time," they wrote. Viral Walmart Video Shows Gun-Wielding Bystander Stopping Stabbing Suspect first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 27, 2025
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Blood-curdling screams and a 'crazed' look: Witnesses describe Michigan Walmart stabbing
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — It was a seemingly normal Saturday for Julia Martell, who was browsing the aisles of her local Walmart with a friend when she heard people screaming. Still, she didn't think much of the disturbance, making the assumption that there was a fight a few aisles over. As she turned the corner, she saw a man running down another aisle, and then she saw his knife. Eleven people ranging in age from 29 to 84 were injured in a stabbing attack at the Traverse City store Saturday, and a suspect was apprehended. Bradford James Gille, 42, was quickly subdued by other shoppers and taken into custody when a deputy arrived, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff said. The man barreled past someone else nearby and "angled toward me," Martell, 32, told NBC News. "And that's when I booked it down the aisle." She said the man looked "crazed" and laser-focused on getting to the store's exit. She said she doesn't think she was an intended target, or that she even particularly caught the man's attention, but that she was uninjured because she got out of the way in time. Authorities have said Gille acted alone and that the attack appeared to be random without predetermined victims. Martell stopped running when she found a group of others, which is when she said the fear set in "because I had no idea where the person was." "All I know is I saw a knife, and I ran away from the knife, and now I have no idea where the knife is," Martell said. "I'm still sitting and grappling with the weight of realizing that it was kind of a life or death moment," Martell said. She said it's "surreal" that she was there when it happened, especially in retrospect after seeing all of the news coverage. "I could have easily been next," she said. On her way out of the store, she passed at least two men who had stab wounds. One, she said, was elderly and was complaining about his heart. The other made a joke about needing a Band-Aid. Officials have said that Good Samaritans in the store subdued the attacker before officers arrived and could arrest him. Martell said that was happening on the other side of the store from where she ended up. Michael Miller, 34, said he was one of those people. He, along with his fiancée, Julia Ling, 27, and four of their kids, heard what they described as blood-curdling screams when they walked into the Walmart. Ling grabbed the young girls and pulled them behind a bread rack. "Anything to block him from them," she said. But Miller ran toward the action to help, she said. Ling said she saw the man stab one victim in the produce section, then another by the self checkout, before he ran toward her and her kids. "He lunged at us," she told NBC News. Then, she said, he lunged at Miller, and the group trying to stop the attacker pushed him out the door. The group outside got the suspect to the ground and Miller called 911, he said. Officers arrived within minutes, Miller said. Once on scene, he helped the first responders locate all of the injured victims, he said. Miller said he and some other men around him "reacted at the same time and reacted in the same way," to the attacker, allowing them to work together to subdue the suspect. "I think we all saw each other. We all noticed each other and saw what was going on," Miller said. "I mean, definitely something that I think everybody was kind of in on together." Both Miller and Ling called the day's events a "wake up call" and expressed concern over bringing their kids on errands with them, especially when the other is busy and one of them has to go alone. Ling said she's already started thinking about making plans to go when Miller is home from work. But both of them have a little faith in their community after so many bystanders worked together to stop the violence. Miller "kept saying to me after the fact was, 'I only did what anybody should have done,'" Ling said. "It should be that way," Miller added. Michigan prosecutors are seeking a terrorism charge against Gille, the suspect, in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, one for each stabbing victim. All of the victims received care at Munson Medical Center, where all but one remain hospitalized. Munson Healthcare spokesperson Catherine Dewey said eight of the victims are in fair condition and two are in serious condition. All are expected to survive.
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7 hours ago
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Suspect facing terrorism charge in stabbing of 11 people at Michigan Walmart
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