Updated at 7:00 a.m., March 28, 2024
The suspect in Wednesday’s mass killing in a southeast Rockford neighborhood is due in court this afternoon. 13 WREX reports 22-year-old Christian Soto was arrested shortly after the attack that resulted in four deaths and seven more people injured. Police say Soto lives in the unincorporated Winnebago County neighborhood where the stabbings occurred. Charges against him include murder, attempted murder, and home invasion.
Counselors from Rosecrance are available to anyone affected by the attacks: It’s free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and from 9 to 5 Friday at Flinn Middle School.
Local faith leaders are holding a public vigil Thursday afternoon at 2:30 to show support for the victims of the attack. The public is invited to gather at the intersection of Charles Street and Eggleston Road.
Updated at 6:48 p.m. on March 27, 2024
Four people are dead and 7 others were hurt after multiple stabbings in a neighborhood on the city's southeast side.
Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd confirmed that three died at the scene and one died at a local hospital.
The dead have been identified as a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man.
13 WREX reports that the suspect has been identified as a 22-year-old male. Chief Redd says they have not identified a motive for these "heinous crimes."
There is no new update on the conditions of those injured.
Previously, the number of injured was reported at five with one in critical condition, a woman trying to run away after the man entered her home was stabbed in the hands and face.
Four others were stabilized at area hospitals, including a Good Samaritan who was hurt trying to help one of the victims. Not all of those injured were stabbed, according to Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd.
13 WREX has confirmed through the United States Postal Service that one of the victims was one of their letter carriers, but did not specify the extent of their injuries. Postal inspectors are on scene with local law enforcement.
RPD is still working on notifying families of those dead and hurt.
There are no other suspects, according to Chief Carla Redd.
The initial medical call came in at 1:14 p.m. in the 2300 block of Holmes St. when multiple other calls came in from other parts of the neighborhood.
Other streets with reported scenes include Cleveland Ave., Eggleston Rd., and Florence St.
There are multiple scenes that remain under investigation involving both the Rockford Police Department and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Caruana says one woman tried to run away when the man got into her home, but was left with stab wounds to the hands and face. Caruana says she is in serious condition.
A Good Samaritan trying to help the woman was also stabbed, but they are considered stable.
OSF St. Anthony Medical Center tells 13 WREX that they have received four patients from the scene. No information on their conditions were immediately available.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, and Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd are at the scene.
13 WREX interviewed one of the neighbors that witnessed a part of what happened.
"All of the sudden, we heard police run up on both sides of the house screaming 'Stop! Get down!'," Vanessa Hy told 13 Investigates' William Ingalls. "Then they ran into the backyard and after a few minutes we saw them bringing the suspect down the driveway in handcuffs and he was very bloody."
"It was like a movie, you know, I've never seen anything like this," Hy added.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara has released the following statement:
"Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community. We can report that the suspect is in custody and the threat has been neutralized. Now that he is in custody, our primary concern is ensuring that our community members directly impacted by this violence are supported throughout their healing and recovery. We are working with community partners to provide support and services quickly and conveniently to those residents. We will announce those details soon. We have multiple jurisdictions working on multiple crime scenes to develop an understanding of what transpired in an effort to prevent this from happening again. We will continue to provide updates." - Mayor McNamara.
The city soon after announced that staff from Rosecrance will be on hand to offer free emotional support and counseling services at Flinn Middle School on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Police continue asking the public to avoid the area as their investigation continues.
This is a breaking story. 13 WREX has multiple crews at the scene and will provide more information as it becomes available.
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