4 dead, 1 in critical condition after Illinois stabbing spree; suspect in custody, officials say

An adult male allegedly stabbed multiple victims in the Rockford, Illinois area on Wednesday, leaving four people dead, one in critical condition and four others in stable condition, authorities said in a press conference Wednesday.

A postal worker is among the four individuals who died, Rockford Police confirmed. Details about the other victims have not been released.

Rockford police said the suspect is in custody. There is no known motive at this time.

The attacks took place before 1:15 p.m., local time, near Holmes Street, Cleveland Avenue and Eggleston Road, according to authorities, who noted this was a “multi-jurisdictional crime scene.”

Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said there was a home invasion near the intersection of Florence and Eggleston Road. A young woman who fled from the residence with stab wounds in her hands and face is in critical condition, Caruana said.

Caruana said she is currently intubated.

A “Good Samaritan” who stopped to help the woman was also allegedly stabbed by the suspect, Caruana said, but that individual is among those in stable condition.

“Words can’t even express my thoughts right now; this a pretty painstaking event,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said, adding, “This was a heinous crime.”

Redd noted that not all of the victims were stabbed in the string of attacks, and there were no gunshot victims.