Bradford James Gille id as Traverse City Walmart stabbing suspect who is a born again Christian who once wrote a book about being Jesus Christ self published on Amazon. Suspect has multiple prior arrests.
Michigan authorities have identified a 42 year old man with multiple prior arrests as the individual who went on a violent stabbing rampage at a Traverse City Walmart store, Saturday afternoon.
Bradford James Gille following his arrest was awaiting arraignment on one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, cops said.
Walmart stabbing suspect lived at Michigan mental asylum as recently as September
Mass stabbing at Michigan Walmart (USA)
A mass stabbing occurred on July 26, 2025, at around 4:43 pm in a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan. A 42-year-old Michigan resident, allegedly acting alone, used a folding knife to randomly attack shoppers near the checkout area.
At… pic.twitter.com/mpxgeFhvDu
— The Chronology (@TheChronology__) July 27, 2025
Walmart stabber X account says he was saved by Christian church
Gille is from Afton, Mich., and was last listed as living in Cheboygan , about 80 miles northeast of Traverse City.
Police said Gilles entered the Walmart store around 4:43 p.m. and stabbed his victims using a folding knife.
The victims ranged in age,, from 29 to 85, with six of them over 60, Shea said. They are all expected to survive.
Of note, Gilles has multiple past arrests for criminal mischief and drug offenses and previously served 49 days in jail in Florida in 2014 for vandalism
Michigan shopper hailed hero for stopping Walmart attacker
Walmart stabbing suspect Bradford James Gille, wrote a book saying that he is Jesus Christ 😆 pic.twitter.com/Dx3i2hM7ku
— Disclosure King (@DisclosureKing) July 27, 2025
Born again Christian who self published on Amazon
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters, ‘Mr. Gille’s history shows prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations.’
Asked if the suspect had a history of mental health illness, Shea didn’t rule out the possibility that mental health may have played a role.
‘I think it’s fair to say that any time that you have someone that commits an incident or an act like this, there is some sort of mental health issue involved,’ Shea said.
Two possible self-published books by Gille and available on Amazon reveal the author as a born-again Christian.
The author turned to prayer at age 14 in 1997 after the ‘unfortunate loss of one of my close friends,’ the blurb on one of the books reads according to the nypost.
The book, which purports to be autobiographical, lays out how its author had dreams tracing his past lives back millions of years.
‘Some of those New Testament dreams of mine portrayed me as Jesus Christ or God and him as Judas Iscariot,’ the writer says.
In another book published in January last year, ‘The Book of I Jesus Christ’ the author describes an apparent autobiographical account of his ‘astonishing revelation of his own identity as Jesus Christ and the spirit as Judas Iscariot.’
Bradford Gille X account
A social media account believed to belong to Gilles and active since 2022, led to one user on X stating, the posts are disturbing and show a steady stream of erratic and paranoid thinking:
• Claims of WWII dreams involving Hitler
• Pro Palestinian narratives
• Conspiracies about psychiatrists, mind control, and WW3
• Paranoia about AI, government plots, and Neuralink
• Delusional claims about designing machines in his sleep
• Says he’s republishing his autobiography to teach the Bible
This account paints a clear picture: a decline into instability, visible well before the violence.
Gille remains in the Grand Traverse County Jail.
He is expected to be arraigned either Monday or Tuesday, authorities said.