The stabbings happened at about 7:15 p.m. at the Salem Union Gospel Mission, at 777 Commercial St. NE.
The Marion County District Attorney’s Office said Monday it has charged Tony Latrell Williams from Bend with attempted murder and expects he’ll be arraigned in court Monday afternoon.
Williams, 42, allegedly stabbed several people inside the shelter’s Welcome Center before exiting the mission and stabbing several others seated outside the facility. Williams used a roughly 8-inch knife, police said.
At this point in the investigation, police do not believe the stabbings were a targeted attack.
“Last night, a terrible thing happened in Salem, Oregon,” Salem Mayor Julie Hoy told reporters Monday. “We are most concerned with those who are still in the hospital and for those who were just there. It’s a difficult thing to process.”
Salem Police Department spokesperson Angela Hedrick told OPB 11 victims — all men — were taken to Salem Health hospital for medical treatment, with varying types of injuries. Officers identified an additional victim while interviewing witnesses.
The victims are between 26 and 57 years old, according to police.
Five men remain hospitalized with serious injuries. The six others who were taken to Salem Health have been released.
Two of the victims are staff members at the mission, according to Mark Hunter, director of community engagement. He said the mission serves roughly 125-150 people nightly.
“We do check their baggage when they come into the building — it was during that process when the incident started,” Hunter told OPB.
Despite the violence, the mission still housed guests Sunday evening.
The faith-based nonprofit provides a range of services, including drug treatment, health care, meals, temporary housing and helping people find jobs. On Monday morning, the entrance was blocked off with yellow caution tape and by vans from a professional cleaning service.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever dealt with something at this level at our facility,” Hunter said. “Our staff is clearly shaken.”
During a news conference Monday, the mission’s executive director, Craig Smith, echoed that sentiment.
“We’re a trauma-based ministry and so we’re pretty well equipped to deal with this stuff, but this is on a scale that we’ve never experienced,” Smith said. “We spent an hour together as a staff praying for one another. I get very emotional because there’s a couple of my staff up in the hospital fighting for their lives and that’s just a very emotional thing.”
According to Salem Police, Williams arrived in Salem on a bus traveling to Deschutes County.
Mayor Hoy and mission leaders thanked police, Salem Health and other first responders for their quick work Sunday night.
“I know that our district attorney will do the absolute best to get to the bottom of this situation and figure out what happened and why,” Hoy said. “We’re all in a state of discovery, frankly, for what’s going on and what’s to come.”
OPB’s Jeff Thompson, Natalie Pate and Dirk VanderHart contributed reporting.
