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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) Police in Illinois said 4 people, including a mail carrier, are dead and 5 injured after a series of attacks by a suspect in a southeast Rockford neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
Police announced that the suspect is in custody. Authorities didn’t immediately identify the person.
Rockford’s population is about 150,000 and it’s 90 miles (144.84 kilometers) miles northwest of Chicago.
The first 911 call came in around 1:15 p.m., authorities said.
Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said the suspect was involved in a home invasion. A female victim is receiving treatment for stab wounds. Caruana said a good Samaritan who intervened in the attack is also receiving medical care.
The suspect then allegedly continued to attack people throughout the neighborhood.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said four people are dead, one is in critical condition, and four others are hospitalized in stable condition.
“My heart goes out to the families right now that are suffering a loss,” Redd told reporters.
Redd said not all of the victims were stabbed, and said there was no known motive for the crimes.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara released a statement following the attack, saying, “Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community. We can report that the suspect is in custody and the threat has been neutralized. Now that he is in custody, our primary concern is ensuring that our community members directly impacted by this violence are supported throughout their healing and recovery. We are working with community partners to provide support and services quickly and conveniently to those residents. We will announce those details soon.
“We have multiple jurisdictions working on multiple crime scenes to develop an understanding of what transpired in an effort to prevent this from happening again. We will continue to provide updates,” McNamara said.
The City of Rockford said emotional support and counseling services will be offered free of charge at Flinn Middle School, at 2525 Ohio Pkwy, beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
