11 injured in knife attack at a Walmart in Michigan, US officials say

MICHIGAN - Multiple people were stabbed at a Walmart near Traverse City, Michigan, on July 26 afternoon, according to the Michigan State Police.

At least 11 people were being treated for injuries at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, said Ms Megan Brown, the chief communications officer for Munson Healthcare, which runs Munson Medical Center. Six people were in critical condition and five people were in serious condition as of 9pm (9am on July 27 in Singapore), she said.

The hospital was still assessing the victims’ injuries, she said. She did not describe the nature of those injuries.

A man who was not publicly identified, a 42-year-old Michigan resident, was in custody, officials said. A motive for the attack was not immediately known.

The man used a “standard folding-style knife” in the attack, Sheriff Michael D. Shea of Grand Traverse County said at a news conference. He acted alone, Mr Shea said.

“Citizen involvement” brought the attack to an end, Mr Shea said, declining to elaborate.

The attack began about 4.45pm at the store’s checkout area and the attacker was detained less than three minutes after police arrived, Mr Shea said.

“Based on the information we have at this time, it was random act,” he said. “The victims were not predetermined.”

A shopper described a scene of mayhem and confusion.

Ms Julia Martell was in the canned vegetables aisle at Walmart when she heard screaming and saw a man with a knife running through the store’s pharmacy area, she said.

As the man moved through the store, he was shoving and stabbing people, she said. Then the man changed course and started running toward her.

She saw the knife in his hand – a knife with a blade about 2 inches long – and ran. The man didn’t follow her and instead turned back toward the store entrance, she said.

“If anything, him not following me kind of scared me more, because then you had no idea where he was,” she said.

Ms Martell, 30, said she saw three people with stab wounds as she evacuated the store, including a man on the floor in the store’s frozen food section. There was “blood everywhere,” she said.

A spokesperson for Walmart said the violence at its store was “unacceptable” and expressed gratitude for the quick response by emergency workers. The company is working closely with local law enforcement during their investigation, the spokesperson said.

The FBI was responding to help the sheriff’s office, Mr Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, said on social media. NYTIMES