Four people were killed and seven others were injured after a man went on a stabbing spree across multiple locations in northern Illinois, police said.
The police took a 22-year-old man into custody and were questioning him, Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd was quoted by news agency The Associated Press as saying. She said one of the people, who was injured in the attack, was in critical condition.
She said the police were investigating the motive of the attack and ruled out more suspects involved in the case.
“We don’t believe there are any other suspects that are on the run or at large at this particular time. Right now, we don’t have a clear motive as to what caused this individual to commit such a heinous crime,” she said.
“My heart goes out to the families right now that are suffering a loss,” she added.
The victims who were killed in the stabbings were identified as a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man. The police did not release their names.
The suspect was arrested by a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy after the police responded to a call over a home invasion, Sheriff Gary Caruana said.
“The young lady ran from him. She got some stab wounds on her hands and her face. She is in a serious condition. One of the good Samaritans stopped to help her out. He did get some stab wounds. He is being checked out,” Caruana said of one of the survivors.
Initially, the Rockford Police said five people had been injured. Later, Cori Hilliard, a public information officer with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, said that two more victims were wounded.
Redd, the Rockford Police Chief, said not all the victims had stab wounds and none were shot.