Authorities plan to seek terrorism and assault with intent to murder charges against a 42-year-old man arrested as a suspect in a mass stabbing spree at a Walmart near Traverse City that left 11 injured and made northern Michigan the latest site of mass violence at a U.S. retailer.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea announced the requested charges during a news conference Sunday, July 27. He identified Bradford James Gille, of Afton, as the suspect.
While Shea said a motive behind the attack remains unknown, Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg explained the plan to seek a terrorism charge in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder for each of the injured victims.
A terrorism charge fits when there is a mass incident that appears to be a random act of violence that seems done “to put fear in the entire community,” she said. Moeggenberg said her office anticipates authorizing charges on Monday, July 28, and said to expect the suspect to be arraigned that day or the next. A terrorism charge is punishable by life imprisonment, Moeggenberg said.
Gille has “prior assaultive type allegations as well as controlled substance,” Shea said.
The 11 injured were sent to Munson Medical Center. Six of the patients were initially in critical condition and five were in serious condition. Three of the injured required surgery. But by the morning on Sunday, July 27, patients had shown “encouraging signs of recovery,” according to Munson Healthcare. One patient has been released, according to Munson Medical Center Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tom Schermerhorn. Among the 10 remaining patients, two are in serious condition and the others have progressed to fair condition, he said.
The victims include six males and five females, according to Shea. Their ages range from 29 years old to 84 years old, he said. One Walmart employee was among the victims, he said. All of the them are expected to survive, said Dr. Tom Schermerhorn. Munson Medical Center chief medical officer.
The stabbing rampage began Saturday afternoon, July 26, with the first 911 call coming in at 4:43 p.m., according to police.
The assailant injured 11 people before bystanders subdued him. Law enforcement credited their intervention for stopping further harm.
“I will tell you they were absolutely instrumental in preventing further injuries, potential casualties,” Shea told the Free Press on July 26. An officer was at the scene within 3 minutes of police receiving the first 911 call, Shea said during a Saturday night news conference.
The stabbings began near the checkout area, according to Shea.
A video posted by WZZM 13 shows what appear to be bystanders intervening to thwart the suspect outside the Walmart. “Drop the knife,” one man shouts in the video, which shows several men, one who appears to be holding a handgun, surrounding another man between cars in the parking lot. “Throw it away,” another man yells. One of the citizens who intervened to stop Gille was armed with a pistol, according to Shea.
The suspect was taken into custody after the attack and has been held in the Grand Traverse County Jail, according to Shea.
The store remained closed on Sunday, with police tape sealing off much of the parking lot.
On Saturday, Walmart spokesperson Joe Pennington told USA Today that it would work with law enforcement during the investigation. “Violence like this is unacceptable,” Pennington said.
Public officials condemned the the attack.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and community reeling from this brutal act of violence,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a Facebook post.
State Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, whose district includes the Walmart where the mass stabbing took echoed Whitmer. “Hug your loved ones. This is a moment to pull together as neighbors and as a community,” she said on Facebook. State Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, who represents the area called July 26 “a tragic day” for the Traverse City community in a Facebook post, and described the attack as a “random and senseless act of violence.”
Free Press intern Natalie Davies contributed. Jonathan Limehouse and Bart Jansen of USA TODAY contributed with previous reporting.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Terrorism charge sought for Bradford James Gille in Walmart stabbing