4 dead, suspect arrested in 'senseless' violence in Rockford, Illinois, officials say

Four people were killed and seven others were injured Wednesday in and near Rockford, Illinois, in what the city’s mayor called a “random and senseless act of violence.”

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, officials said.

Police took a 22-year-old man into custody and were not looking for anyone else involved in the violence, which occurred at "multiple scenes" in Rockford and an area of the county shortly after 1 p.m., authorities said. NBC Chicago, citing Rockford officials, identified the suspect as Christian Soto.

"Words can’t even express my thoughts right now," Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd told reporters. She said the suspect committed "heinous crimes."

Authorities have not said how the violence unfolded. A woman who identified herself as the suspect's mother said Thursday she was in shock.

"He’s a loving person and he has never hurt anybody before," the woman, who did not provide her name, said in a phone call. "We don’t know what happened. He’s not an aggressive person. This is all shocking to us. … We never felt threatened with him."

One survivor was in critical condition, and four others were stable after a man "attacked and stabbed multiple individuals," the Rockford Police Department said on X on Wednesday. Winnebago County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cori Hilliard said two others had been injured in her county.

OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, a hospital in Rockford that received four patients on Wednesday, said Thursday that it still had three patients, two of whom are in fair condition and one in critical condition.

Authorities have not identified those who were killed, but described the victims as a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man.

The causes of death and injury for all victims were not clear. Not all of the victims were stabbed, Redd said, and none were shot.

A report came into Rockford's dispatch center at 1:14 p.m. local time about a medical call, Redd said, and other calls followed asking for police help.

In a neighborhood in the Rockford area that is part of Winnebago County, there was a home invasion and a woman fled but was stabbed in the hands and face, Sheriff Gary Caruana said.

The woman was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and has been intubated, he said. A man who intervened to help her suffered stab wounds, but "he’s fine" and being evaluated, Caruana said.