Police in Rockford, Illinois, were working at several crime scenes at once on Wednesday after a man stabbed his way through a residential area, leaving four people dead.
A 22-year-old man was taken into custody, police said, at 1:35 p.m. The attacks began shortly before that, near Holmes Street, Cleveland Avenue and Eggleston Road. Police called it a “multi-jurisdictional crime scene,” since the violence crossed from the city into other parts of Winnebago County.
The dead included a postal worker. Later that night police said the victims were a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man. The Winnebago County Coroner’s office later listed their names as Jenna Newcomb, 15; Jacob Schupbach, 23; Jay Larson, 49; and Ramona Schupbach, 63. Seven people were injured.
At the time of the first press conference, one of the wounded was in critical condition and four others were stable. Sheriff Gary Caruana said there had been a home invasion near Florence and Eggleston Road. A young woman ran from the house with stab wounds to her hands and face. She was intubated, he said.
A passerby who stopped to help her was stabbed too, Caruana said. That man was among those listed as stable.
Police Chief Carla Redd would not say much about why. There was no known motive. “Words can’t even express my thoughts right now; this a pretty painstaking event,” she said. “This was a heinous crime.” Redd added that not every victim was stabbed, and that nobody was shot.
Charges
By Thursday prosecutors had a name. Christian Ivan Soto was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder and home invasion. The county state’s attorney, J. Hanley, said Soto told detectives he smoked marijuana he believed was laced with an unknown drug. Soto is being held without bond.
Hanley said three girls watching a movie on spring break were beaten with a bat. Jenna Newcomb was one of them. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said she “died saving her sister and friend, protecting them from further harm.”
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he and Jill Biden were “horrified to learn of the brutal attack carried out in Rockford last night.” He praised local police for confronting the suspect. Federal law enforcement, he said, had offered help with the investigation.
Sources
- 2024 Rockford stabbings – Wikipedia
- 4 dead, 1 in critical condition after Illinois stabbing spree; suspect in custody, officials say
- 2024 Rockford stabbings
Sources
- 2024 Rockford stabbings – Wikipedia
- 4 dead, 1 in critical condition after Illinois stabbing spree… – ABC News
