Eleven people were hospitalized after being stabbed at a homeless services provider in downtown Salem, Oregon, on Sunday night, police said.
A suspect was in custody after the violence at 7:15 p.m. at Union Gospel Mission, Salem police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick said.
Details about their injuries were unavailable and Salem Health, Salem Hospital’s corporate parent, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night.
The incident took place at the Union Gospel Mission’s 50,000-square-foot Men’s Mission, which opened in 2021 a few blocks north of the mission’s old, circa-1960s facilities, according to the organization.
Police will be able to see much of what happened when they review the facility’s security video, Smith said.
After being stabbed at a homeless services center in downtown Salem, Oregon, on Sunday night, eleven people were taken to the hospital, according to police.
At 7:15 p.m., a suspect was taken into custody following the violence. M. Angela Hedrick, a Salem police spokesperson, stated at Union Gospel Mission.
By email, Hedrick stated that the injured had been transported to Salem Hospital. Salem Health, the corporate parent of Salem Hospital, did not immediately reply to a request for comment Sunday evening, and there were no details available regarding their injuries.
The suspect’s identity was unknown and he was only described as a man.
The Union Gospel Mission said the incident happened at its 50,000-square-foot Men’s Mission, which opened in 2021 just a few blocks north of the mission’s historic buildings from the 1960s. It is located on the other side of the Salem Police Department.
“The attacker was new to the mission, having spent Saturday night there, and was about to check in for a second night when he got into a fight,” Executive Director Craig Smith said in a late-night phone interview Sunday.
“Something,”. triggered him, and it was clear that he had a knife in his bag,” Smith stated.
Smith said that at least one staff member, who was working the mission’s check-in desk, was hurt in the altercation, which happened just before the man would have turned over his belongings to staff.
A group of Christian businesspeople started the nonprofit organization, which, according to its website, now provides counseling, food service, and housing for about 150 people every night.
According to the executive director, victims of Sunday’s attack were discovered both inside and outside the building’s walls in the day room. When police examine the facility’s security footage, they will be able to see a large portion of what transpired, Smith said.
His words were, “We’re sharing video with them.”. “The whole thing is captured on camera. “.”.
