Eleven people were injured Saturday after a 42-year-old man stormed into a Michigan Walmart and began stabbing shoppers in what authorities call a random attack.
The victims, ages 29 to 84, were taken to the hospital in connection with the incident that occurred in Traverse City, a Munson Healthcare spokesperson said.
One customer described hearing commotion a few aisles over as she picked up items. Still shaken from the incident, Julia Martell said she fled down an aisle as the suspect barreled past someone and “angled toward me.”
“I’m still sitting and grappling with the weight of realizing that it was kind of a life-or-death moment,” she said.
The suspect, Bradford James Gille, was subdued by shoppers and taken into custody when a deputy arrived. He faces charges of assault with intent to murder and terrorism, authorities said.
Who is Bradford James Gille?
Sheriff’s deputies in Emmet County, Michigan, were searching for Gille on Friday evening and Saturday morning after receiving a court order instructing deputies to take him into custody. The details of the court order are unclear.
Deputies could not locate Gille, who is homeless with no known physical address in Emmet County, according to the order.
“Regrettably, less than 24 hours after receiving this order, a tragic series of events occurred in Traverse City,” the sheriff’s office said in a Monday Facebook post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this devastating situation.”
Gille has a prior record of assault incidents and “controlled substance violations,” Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea said at a Sunday news conference.
A motive in the stabbings remains unclear. Michigan officials said they are seeking a terrorism charge in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.
The county prosecutor said that officials believe the attack was “in some ways done to affect the entire community” and to “change how maybe we operate on a daily basis.”
“That is why we’re looking at that terrorism charge,” Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg said.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Authorities say the attack was random
The incident began around 4:40 p.m. near the Walmart checkout area, according to authorities. Gille, armed with a folding knife with a 3 ½ inch blade, allegedly entered the store and stabbed 11 people. One of the victims was a Walmart employee, the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The sheriff’s office said Gille was acting alone.
One victim is hospitalized in serious condition, five in fair and two in good condition, Munson Healthcare said in a Monday update. Two people were transferred, and one was treated and released.
Witnesses recount horror
Julia Martell, 32, said she was shopping when she heard a disturbance a few aisles over. She told NBC News that she initially did not think anything of it, but saw a man running with a knife.
Martell said the suspect ran past someone and “angled toward” her before she ran until she found a group of people.
The suspect looked “crazed” and was laser-focused on trying to get to the store’s exit, she said.
“I could have easily been next,” Martell added.
Michael Miller, 34, said he was one of the good Samaritans who helped subdue Gille until authorities arrived. He had walked into the store with his fiancée, Julia Ling, and four of their children when they heard people screaming.
Ling said she pulled the children behind a bread rack. She said she saw Gille stab one victim in the produce section and another by the self-checkout. He then ran toward her and her children and lunged at them before turning his attention to Miller, she told NBC News.
Miller and a group of other people pushed Gille out of the door and got him on the ground. Miller called 911, he said.
Matthew Kolakowski, 39, a retired Marine Corps veteran, described the moment he and others went after Gille.
“I wasn’t gonna let him go, I knew that,” he told NBC News. “He wasn’t going to get away from me.”
Kolakowski and his brother-in-law, Chris O’Brien, said they sprang into action after Gille stabbed people.
“You stop thinking about yourself,” Kolakowski said. “The amount of blood is what changed it. This isn’t fake, this isn’t a game no more, this is real life and this guy has to be stopped.”
Walmart said in a statement that “violence like this is unacceptable.”
“Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” the company said.
