US Walmart stabbing suspect expected to face terrorism charge

Traverse City, Michigan: A man accused of entering a Walmart in Michigan and randomly stabbing 11 shoppers before being detained by bystanders in the store car park is expected to face terrorism and multiple assault charges, authorities said on Monday (AEST).

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said a motive behind the alleged attack by Bradford Gille, 42, of Afton, Michigan, remained unclear. Gille, who Shea said had “prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations”, said little as he was arrested. He is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.

Bradford Gille was expected to face a terrorism charge over the alleged attack, authorities said.Credit: AP

Shea praised the quick response by law officers who arrived within three minutes of receiving the first call about the alleged stabbing, as well as a group of bystanders who intervened and detained the suspect in the parking lot of the store in Traverse City. The community of about 16,000 people is along Lake Michigan.

Gille entered the store at 4.10pm and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities alleged. Calls began coming in to authorities at 4.43pm on Saturday, Michigan time, and a sheriff’s deputy arrived at 4.46p.m.

He said the “remarkable” efforts probably prevented others from being harmed, adding that an almost 9cm cutting blade was allegedly used in the attack.

“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough,” Shea said at a news conference. “When you stop and look from the time of the call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute.”

Walmart employees and customers comfort each other.Credit: Traverse City Record-Eagle/AP

Gille remained in jail and his name did not appear on Sunday in Michigan’s online jail records. Messages left on Sunday with phone numbers and an email listed for Gille were not immediately returned. His previous court cases did not have an attorney’s name listed in public records.

Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge would be brought because the alleged attack impacted the community, rather than one individual.

“It’s something that is done not to individual people, not to those individual victims – obviously they are most affected – but it is, we believe, in some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis,” Moeggenberg said. “So that is why we are looking at that terrorism charge.”

Shea said the 11 victims were both male and female and ranged in age from 29 to 84. They included one Walmart employee. Munson Medical Centre chief medical officer Dr Tom Schermerhorn, speaking at Sunday’s news conference, said one patient was treated and released; two were in a serious condition; and the rest were in a fair condition. All were expected to survive.

Police at the scene of the alleged stabbing.Credit: AP

Steven Carter was loading his truck in the Walmart parking lot when he allegedly saw a man with a knife stab a woman in the throat.

About five minutes later, he said, the suspect was surrounded by shoppers in the parking lot, including one who was holding a gun. The group of five or six people kept yelling to the man to “drop the knife”, he said, and the man allegedly responded: “I don’t care, I don’t care.” He kept backing away from the crowd, before someone tackled and subdued him.

“At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack,” said Carter, who delivers customer orders from Walmart. “And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. And that was, it was just amazing. And it all happened fast. Like he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived.”

Emergency vehicles and uniformed first responders gathered in the parking lot of the shopping centre that houses several other retail stores. Authorities were also seen interviewing employees, still wearing blue uniform vests and name tags as the investigation unfolded.

Tiffany DeFell, 36, who lives in Honor, about 40 kilometres from Traverse City, said she was in the store’s parking lot when chaos erupted around her.

“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies. It’s not what you expect to see where you’re living.”

Shea said the weapon involved appeared to be a folding-style knife, adding that the alleged incident started near the checkout counter of the store and the victims were “not predetermined”.

Walmart said in a statement that it would continue to work closely with law enforcement in the investigation.

FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said in a social media post that bureau officials were responding to “provide any necessary support”.

Traverse City is a popular vacation spot. It is known for its cherry festival, wineries and lighthouses and is about 40 kilometres east of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.