Law enforcement officials arrested a male suspect on Sunday after 12 people were injured and 11 were hospitalized in a stabbing spree at a homeless shelter in Salem, Oregon.
In a Monday press release, the Salem Police Department said police officers responded to a stabbing incident at the Union Gospel Mission at roughly 7:15 p.m. on Sunday and found “several individuals who had been stabbed inside the facility by a man with a knife approximately eight inches in size.”
“Witnesses reported the suspect was speaking to individuals in the lobby when he produced a knife and stabbed several people,” the Salem Police Department stated. “Others present who attempted to intervene in the melee were also injured.”
The Salem Police Department identified the suspect in Sunday’s stabbing attack as 42-year-old Tony Latrell Williams. Officials said the suspect left the Union Gospel Mission and stabbed other individuals who were sitting outside near the homeless shelter prior to law enforcement officials arresting him near the shelter and seizing the knife used in the attack.
According to Monday’s press release, 11 of the 12 victims injured by the suspect were transported to Salem Health for medical treatment following the stabbing attack. As of Monday, police officials said five male victims who sustained “serious injuries” remained at the hospital.
According to the Salem Police Department, Williams was booked at the Marion County Jail on preliminary charges of second-degree assault and the unlawful use of a weapon.
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“The remaining victims, all men, received non‑life‑threatening injuries of varying degrees,” the Salem Police Department said. “The victims included two Union Gospel Mission staff members and ten individuals who were guests at the shelter or were encountered outside the building, all ranging in age from 26 to 57.”
According to The Associated Press, Salem Police Violent Crimes Unit detectives said Williams arrived in Salem on Saturday while traveling by bus from Portland to Deschutes County. Officials confirmed that he visited the Union Gospel Mission on Saturday but did not remain overnight at the homeless shelter. The Associated Press reported that Williams arrived at the Union Gospel Mission again on Sunday shortly before the stabbing incident.
In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Salem Mayor Julie Hoy said, “I’m in disbelief that something like this could happen. We are most concerned with those who are still in hospital and for those who were just there. It’s a difficult thing to process.”
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows the 42-year-old suspect being arrested following the stabbing incident on Sunday.
