Authorities in Michigan provide updates on stabbing at Walmart
UPDATE (12:46 PM): The man who stabbed nearly a dozen people at a Michigan Walmart over the weekend could face terrorism charges.
42-year-old Bradford Gille left 11 people injured after stabbing them with a folding knife at the Traverse City Walmart Saturday.
Officials said Sunday he has a history of assault incidents and controlled substance violations.
At least one citizen armed with a pistol confronted Gille and stopped him from committing further harm.
"For all of those people that were involved, first of all, I commend them. It's not very often that we have citizens that are willing to step up and take action," said Sheriff Michael Shea with the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office.
The motive behind the stabbings remains unclear.
Meanwhile, officials confirm the victims ranged in age from 29 to 84-years-old. One of them has since been released from the hospital.
"Now we have 10 remaining patients, two who remain in serious condition, and the others have progressed to fair condition," Sheriff Shea shared.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea provided an update Saturday on the stabbing which took place at the Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan earlier in the day.
"At 4:43 p.m. [Eastern], we received a call from an individual at Walmart indicating that there was a stabbing that was taking place," Sheriff Shea shared.
After the phone call, a Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office (GTSO) deputy was on scene within three minutes, with Shea confirming there was help from a citizen inside Walmart to get the suspect into custody.
He says right now, he can't elaborate on what exactly that citizen did to help.
"The suspect is a 42-year-old male. We believe he acted alone at this time," Shea added.
According to GTSO, he used a folding knife to injure the eleven victims. The sheriff says six men and five women were stabbed. As of Sunday, four are in serious condition and seven are in fair condition, according to Munson Healthcare.
"It appears that these were all random acts," Shea said.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab is processing the scene, and Walmart will remain closed until the state police's analysis is done.
"Be vigilant. Know that no area is immune to this type of activity unfortunately, and if you see something, please reach out call 911...11 is 11 too many, but thank God, it wasn't more," Shea expressed.
