The incident occurred in downtown Salem on the evening of Sunday, June 1
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NEED TO KNOW
- Eleven people have been injured after a mass stabbing at a men’s homeless shelter in Oregon, according to reports
- Salem Police Department confirmed a suspect is in custody following the incident, per an X post
- The victims were taken to Salem Health Hospital to be treated “with varying types of injuries,” local station KATU reported
Multiple people have been injured after a mass stabbing incident in Oregon, police have confirmed.
On Sunday, June 1, the Salem Police Department responded to calls of the stabbing, confirming that a suspect was in custody, per a post shared on X.
The incident occurred at 7:15 p.m. local time at the Union Gospel Mission’s Men’s Mission homeless shelter in downtown Salem, NBC News reported, citing police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick. The organization’s new 50,000-square-foot location opened in 2021, the publication noted.
Eleven people have been hospitalized following the stabbing, according to the outlet.
Police confirmed on X that the victims were transported “for care,” confirming that the incident “is an active investigation.”
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According to ABC-affiliated local station KATU, the victims were taken to Salem Health Hospital to be treated “with varying types of injuries.”
Police closed off Commercial Street at D Street, the X post confirmed, stating that motorists were being diverted from the area.
The suspect has been described only as a man, but no additional information was given, per NBC News and CBS News.
The shelter’s executive director, Craig Smith, told NBC News in a phone interview that the suspect was new to the mission and had spent Saturday night there. He was reportedly about to check in for a second night on Sunday “when he got into a fight.”
“Something … set him off, and he evidently had a knife in his bag,” Smith said, per NBC News. At least one staff member was injured in the attack, Smith told the outlet. They were working the check-in desk at the time, and the fight reportedly occurred just before the man went to hand over his belongings.
“We’re sharing video with them,” Smith told NBC News of handing evidence over to the police, adding, “The whole incident is on video.”
The outlet stated that the homeless shelter is across from the Salem Police Department.
“This is a very fresh incident, and detectives are gathering the facts,” police spokesperson Hedrick said, per KATU.
A message on the Union Gospel Mission of Salem’s website stated of the work that the organization does, “Starting with meeting immediate needs like nourishing meals and safe shelter, Union Gospel Mission of Salem seeks to restore dignity and hope by sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ with those in need, which will ultimately help them break free from homelessness for good.”
The doors first opened to the original Union Gospel Mission of Salem in June of 1953 after “a group of Christian businessmen” had become “concerned with the homeless men coming into the Willamette Valley for the harvest” the year prior, the site added.
“Upwards of 150 homeless men seek refuge with us each night,” the organization confirmed of the Men’s Ministry. The new location is just a few blocks north of the old building, per NBC News.
