A man is in custody after a stabbing that left nine people injured at an apartment complex that houses refugee families in Boise, Idaho, authorities say.
The victims injured in the stabbing Saturday night included members of Boise’s refugee community, Police Chief William Bones said. He declined to provide additional details on the victims.
All nine victims are undergoing treatment at a hospital, four with life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Detectives are interviewing the 30-year-old suspect but have yet to establish a motive for the attack, Bones said in a statement.
„As you can imagine the witnesses in the apartment complex along with the rest of our community are reeling from this attack. This incident is not a representation of our community but a single evil individual who attacked people without provocation that we are aware of at this time,“ he said in the statement.
Police responded to a call of a man with a knife at 8:46 p.m. (10:46 p.m. ET) and arrived at the apartment complex four minutes later, Bones said.
„Officers located the suspect almost immediately, took the suspect into custody at gunpoint,“ he said.
Additional officers found the nine victims inside the apartments and in the complex’s parking lot.
„You can imagine this is a very tight-knit community here in this apartment complex. The attack had a devastating effect on the people. We’re doing everything we can tonight to get them services, to get them through this evening and we’ll be working with them in the days and weeks that follow,“ Bones said.
Asked if there had been fatalities, Bones responded: „At this point we haven’t lost anybody, but as I’ve said, the injuries are very, very serious.“
The attack was unprecedented for the police department, he said.
„We haven’t had anything involving this amount of victims in a single attack in Boise in the history of the department. Obviously it’s something you hope never comes to your city,“ Bones said.
Bones said police hope to release the suspect’s identity Sunday.
„He did come from out of state, but I don’t know how long he’s been in the city,“ he told reporters.
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