CRIME
Suspect Charged In Stabbing Rampage Through Illinois Neighborhood
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An Illinois man has been charged with multiple counts of murder in connection with a rampage Wednesday that left four people dead and seven others injured.
Christian Soto, 22, has been charged with multiple counts of murder and home invasion, according to police, and is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.
The Rockford Police Department responded to the areas of Holmes Street, Winnetka Drive, and Cleveland Avenue at around 1:14 p.m. on Wednesday after multiple 911 calls poured in from multiple scenes in Rockford. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office also responded to connected scenes in the surrounding area. Soto was taken into custody at 1:35 p.m., police said.
In that short span, Soto allegedly began with a home invasion in the area of Florence Street and Eggleston Road, according to Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana. A young woman who tried to escape was stabbed in the face and hands and wounded. A bystander who tried to help was also stabbed. Soto then continued through the neighborhood, allegedly stabbing multiple others.
Rockford Police said a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man were killed, and five other people were transported to area hospitals, one of whom was critically injured. The sheriff’s office said an additional two people were injured in its jurisdiction, for a total of seven injured.
Authorities said no one was shot, and some, but not all of the victims were stabbed.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed one of the victims was a mail carrier. The victims have not yet been publicly identified.
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, Mayor Tom McNamara said in a statement. 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.
In a later statement, McNamara said counseling services would be available for residents Thursday and Friday at Flinn Middle School.
Its hard to grasp how this could happen and how emotional and raw the community is tonight, McNamara said. This is, obviously, a huge blow to all of us. However, in Rockford fashion, we get knocked down, sometimes too much, but we always get back up stronger. If you or someone you know has been impacted by this weeks incidents, please seek help.
The City of Rockford announced a vigil would be held Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Charles Street and Eggleston Road.
TMX contributed to this article.
