WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J.
A man has been charged in connection with an attack that left four people dead, including one teenager, and seven others injured Wednesday afternoon in Rockford, Illinois. Police said some of the victims were stabbed.
Police on Thursday morning confirmed Christian Ivan Soto, 22, has been charged with 11 counts of murder/intent to kill and two counts of home invasion. He is being held in the Winnebago County Jail and is expected in court on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
The brutal attack ripped through one neighborhood in about 20 minutes. First, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said there was a home invasion near Florence Street and Eggleston Road.
A young woman trying to get away was stabbed in the face and hands and seriously wounded. A Good Samaritan who tried to help her also was stabbed.
The attacker then went on a rampage in the areas of Holmes Street, Winnetka Drive, and Cleveland Avenue in Rockford, police said. Calls for police and paramedics were soon coming in at multiple scenes in Rockford and surrounding parts of Winnebago County.
Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said a total of four people were killed, one person was critically injured, and four other people were taken to hospitals, where their conditions were stabilized. Redd said not all of the victims were stabbed, but there were no gunshot victims.
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office said two more people were hurt in its jurisdiction, WIFR TV reported.
The people who were killed were a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man.
"It's just devastation for all of us," said Rockford resident Ruth Gallagher. "It's a blur. It's just a nightmare."
Gallagher said her longtime mailman was among the dead. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed a letter carrier was killed in the attack. Witnesses said the letter carrier might have been struck by a pickup truck during the violence.
"The mail carrier, he was the kindest person. He would help anybody; would step in and help, always friendly," said Gallagher. "We will miss him."
Police late Wednesday said they do not know the motive behind the attack.
Mayor Tom McNamara released the following statement:
"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."
Counseling services will be available Thursday at Flinn Middle School.
