At least 11 people are being treated by local hospitals after a mass stabbing at Walmart in Traverse City on Saturday, July 26, and a suspect is in custody, Michigan State Police said on social media Saturday afternoon.
Munson Healthcare in northern Michigan confirmed that “11 victims are being treated at Munson Medical Center” in connection to the indicent. “As a result, our Emergency Department is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients,” it said.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told the Traverse City Record-Eagle that all 11 victims are alive and 3 are in surgery.
Police are telling people to “please avoid the area as the investigation is ongoing.”
Kim Harris, a spokesperson for Walmart, told USA TODAY in an email that the company is “working with police and right now will defer questions to them.”
Sheriff: Suspect a Michigan resident, weapon a folding knife
Shea told reporters at a news conference the attack appeared to be random and the weapon was a standard folding knife. He told reporters the suspect “appears” to be a Michigan resident, but refused to identify the person further.
“Based on the information that we have at this time, they were random acts,” Shea said.
The Michigan State Crime Lab is sending personnel to the scene, he said.
Asked for advice in how to respond to this type of incident, Shea said to “be vigilant.
“Know that no area is immune to this kind of activity,” Shea said.
Gov. Whitmer thanks first responders after ‘horrible news’
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a social media post that she is “in touch with law enforcement about the horrible news out of Traverse City.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence. I am grateful to the first responders for their swift response to apprehend the suspect,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer said she will “continue monitoring the situation closely.”
Where is Traverse City?
Traverse City, which the U.S. Census Bureau reports has a population of nearly 16,000, is in northern Michigan, about 150 miles north of Grand Rapids and 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
Jonathan Limehouse of USA TODAY contributed.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Traverse City Walmart stabbing, 11 injured: What we know
