Rockford stabbing spree leaves 4 dead, including mailman, 5 hurt, one critically and 22 year old male suspect, Christian Ivan Soto charged with murder and attempted murder following ‘random’ mass stabbing incident in Winnebago County which began with a home invasion before spreading through the community. No known motive.
A 22 year old Rockford, Illinois, man was formally booked on a variety of felony charges during the early morning hours of Thursday morning, including 4 murder charges and 7 attempted murder according to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.
Christian Ivan Soto was identified as the 22 year old Illinois man who went on a stabbing spree, Wednesday afternoon, killing four individuals and injuring 5, including a young female critically.
Christian Soto was booked on 11 charges including murder and intent to murder along with home invasion with a dangerous weapon at 12.39 am, Thursday, March 28- with no bond according to the Winnebago County Jail records. His first court date is scheduled for this afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Prior criminal record
Winnebago County Court records show Soto’s address on the 4700 block of Upland Drive which is in the same neighborhood where Wednesday’s mass murder happened. Records show some criminal history for Soto, largely filled with minor traffic tickets.
Two months ago, Soto was found guilty for going more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. Soto also had a criminal charge in 2022 for criminal damage to property, with the case ultimately dismissed, WREX reported.
The deceased according to police reports included a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old mailman, Jay Larson, and a 22-year-old Jacob Schupbach.
Along with the four fatalities, Rockford authorities confirmed a young female in critical condition and four others sustaining serious injuries, although not all injuries were from stabbing.
Additionally, two individuals were wounded in Winnebago County outside Rockford, bringing the total count of injured victims to seven, and the overall tally in the assault to 11.
‘It makes no sense’
Reports began flooding in to the Rockford police around 1:14 p.m., originating from the 2300-block of Holmes Street.
Rockford police said they received their first calls about the incident just before 1:15 p.m. When officers responded, they found multiple crime scenes, police said. Officials explained that the stabbings initially began following a home invasion before the suspect then going on to stab multiple other people.
Officials stated that the crimes took place both in the city of Rockford and in the county on multiple streets.
The Rockford Register Star reported the mailman being killed after being run over by a vehicle and stabbed. The victim’s gear was left strewn across a yard.
‘It makes no sense,’ local resident Eric Patterson told the outlet. ‘It’s almost like playing a video game, but it’s reality. It makes no sense. It’s like Grand Theft Auto. I’m going to run over the mailman here. I’m going to stab a couple people there. I am going to go in this house over here. It’s not making sense. You can’t rationalize this.’
No known murder motive
‘You never expect this here,’ Cassandra Hernandez another local resident said. ‘We have such great neighbors,’ she said, describing the postal worker as ‘a very good man. I am very sad.’
The Rockford Fire Department said one of the people who died was taken to the hospital in critical condition but did not survive. Some of the victims, including a woman who fled a home invasion in Winnebago County and a man who tried to help her, were stabbed, as the assailant pursued them, officials said.
The un-named woman was stabbed in the hands and face and was hospitalized in serious condition. The Good Samaritan who came to her aid sustained non life threatening injuries.
A sheriff’s deputy took the suspect into custody at 1.35pm, some twenty minutes after the first attack taking place.
U.S. Postal branch president, Lawrence Steward stated that one of their mail carriers, a 25 year veteran was among the deceased.
‘The Postal Inspection Service has confirmed that a United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier was among the victims in today’s incident in Rockford, IL,’ stated a spokesperson for USPIS.
Authorities stated that they do not suspect any other individuals being involved in during the multiple assaults. They mentioned that federal agents are aiding in the investigation.
Police said they had yet to discover a possible motive.
Rockford is a city of around 150,000 about 60 miles northwest of Chicago.
