WREX
Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a home invasion and stabbing in Rockford, Illinois, on March 27, 2024.
CNN
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Four people were killed and seven others were injured in stabbings in multiple neighborhoods in Rockford, Illinois, Wednesday afternoon, police said, and a suspect was in custody.
A 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man were killed in the incident, and five other injured people were taken to local hospitals. He suffered serious injuries,” the Rockford Police Department announced in a news release Wednesday night.
Rockford Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Marcomb told CNN that five people were injured in Rockford and two in Winnebago County.
“We have multiple scenes at this time and are working on notifying families,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said at a news conference Wednesday. She said federal, city and county officials were responding to the scene. Rockford is approximately 90 miles west of Chicago.
Red said the department's dispatch center received a call for medical assistance at 1:14 p.m., followed by a subsequent request for police to respond.
Police then responded to multiple addresses in the area of Holmes Street, Winnetka Drive and Cleveland Avenue, according to a news release. Police said the suspect, a 22-year-old man, was in custody by 1:35 p.m.
Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said shortly after 1 p.m., county authorities received a report of a home invasion in Florence and Eggleston, and said a young woman had run away from the suspect.
“The young woman ran away from him. She sustained several stab wounds to her hands and face,” he said. “She is currently in the hospital and is intubated. She is in critical condition.”
Caruana said a good Samaritan who stopped to help the woman also suffered stab wounds. “He's fine. He's being tested,” the sheriff said.
“We do not have a clear motive as to why this person committed such a heinous crime,” Redd told reporters, adding that police do not believe there are any other suspects. Ta.
Police said not all of the victims were stabbed and there were no gunshot wounds, but they did not say how the other victims died or were injured. One of the victims who died was a mail carrier, the sheriff said.
“This is a very active, multi-level, multi-agency investigation with a significant amount of moving parts,” a news release Wednesday evening said. “As with any investigation, further details and charges may be revealed at a later date.”
Police are asking residents to check their cameras and doorbells for footage related to the incident and to submit any information to police or anonymously through Rockford Regional Crime Stoppers.
“We are completely shaken by this act of violence and the impact it is currently having on the lives of multiple families,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said at a news conference.
She said counselors will be on hand at Flynn Middle School on Thursday and Friday to assist affected individuals and families.
“It's hard to understand how something like this could happen and how emotional and raw the community was tonight,” the mayor said in a Facebook post. “As a father, son, husband, mayor, and supporter of Rockford, my heart breaks for those who lost their lives, their families, and our community.”
CNN’s Emma Tucker and Jennifer Feldman contributed to this report.
