A stabbing attack at an Oregon homeless shelter injured a dozen people on Sunday night, police said.
At approximately 7:15 p.m., a man walked into the lobby of the shelter holding an eight-inch knife. According to police, he had been talking to people in the lobby when he suddenly took out the knife and stabbed several people.
Other people tried to intervene and were also injured.
The man eventually left the building, stabbing others who were sitting outside.
The suspect, 42-year-old Tony Williams, was arrested by police across the street from the Union Gospel Mission in Salem.
A total of eleven victims, all men between the ages of 26 and 57, including two staff members at the shelter, were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
A twelfth victim was later identified when police interviewed witnesses.
As of Monday, five people remained in hospital with serious injuries.
While authorities have not identified a motive for the stabbings, they do not believe it was targeted toward the homeless.
Craig Smith, the executive director of the homeless shelter, said in an online statement that the two injured staff members remain hospitalized.
He added that the facility will work to strengthen its safety measures as much as possible moving forward.
Detectives said Williams traveled by bus from Portland to Deschutes County, getting off in Salem on Saturday. He visited the shelter that same day but did not stay overnight.
He returned the following night, and shortly after his arrival, the attack occurred.
Salem Mayor Julie Hoy said she was “in disbelief” that such an incident could happen, calling it “a difficult thing to process.”
Bobby Epperly, who was on the second floor when the attack happened, said he saw the man outside holding a knife and yelling at traffic.
He described the scene as something out of “a horror movie,” but didn’t realize anyone inside the shelter had been stabbed until he went downstairs and saw “blood everywhere.”
According to the shelter’s website, the facility houses up to 150 men each night.
Caleb Rennie, 19, was driving by when he saw police arresting the suspect. He quickly began recording the scene on his phone.
In the video, a man is seen lying facedown on the ground as officers approach and handcuff him. Off-camera, voices can be heard shouting.
Alan Hyumphreys, 67, was standing outside the building when the attacker emerged and began stabbing people. He remembers seeing several individuals lying in pools of blood.
