https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...ead-rcna145388
Four people were killed, including a 15-year-old girl who died saving her sister, after an Illinois man carried out a series of stabbings and attacks Wednesday in and near the city of Rockford, officials said.
Seven other people were injured in what the mayor called a ?random and senseless act of violence.?
Police took the suspect, Christian Soto, 22, into custody on charges of murder, attempted murder and home invasion. The attacks occurred at "multiple scenes" in Rockford and an area of Winnebago County shortly after 1 p.m., authorities said.The violence unfolded Wednesday afternoon when Rockford police received a call about a person "being run over by a vehicle and possibly stabbed" outside of a home, Hanley said at a Thursday news conference.
Officers located the bodies of a man and woman identified as Jacob Schupbach, 23, and Ramona Schupbach, 63. Both appeared to have been stabbed, Hanley said.
Witnesses said they saw Jacob Schupbach ?being chased across the street" by Soto, according to Hanley. The witnesses said they saw Soto with an ?unknown possibly black object that he was hitting or stabbing Jacob with as he was lying on the ground," he said.
Jacob Schupbach was able to get up and run back inside the home, he said. Soto allegedly followed and was observed by witnesses exiting a short time later. Witnesses told police that Soto got into his vehicle and fled the scene.
During an interview following his arrest, Soto allegedly told police that he was friends with the 23-year-old and went to his house to smoke marijuana. Soto said "he believes the drugs provided to him by Jacob were laced with an unknown narcotic," Hanley said.
"Soto said he became paranoid after the drug usage. He said he retrieved a knife from the kitchen at Jacob?s house and proceeded to stab Jacob and Ramona to death," Hanley told reporters.Soto allegedly told police that he left the home in his vehicle and "recalled taking out the mailman," according to Hanley, who identified the victim as Jay Larson.
Larson was stabbed multiple times in the front yard of a home and died from his injuries at the hospital. Ruth Mendoza, the inspector in charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service-Chicago, said Larson died while "doing his job."
"Jay was doing what he loved, serving his community," she said at the news conference. "Delivering mail to customers that he had served for 25 years."At a separate location, three girls were attacked with a softball bat, according to Hanley. One of the girls, 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb, died.
One of the injured girls told authorities that she was at her friend's house watching movies in a basement bedroom when Soto allegedly entered the home through an unlocked rear door. Hanley said Soto grabbed a softball bat from the kitchen, went to the basement, cursed at the girls "and asked where the gun was."