PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Salem police have shared new details in a stabbing incident outside the Union Gospel Mission that left several people hospitalized on Sunday.
Following an original report that 11 people were stabbed in the area near 700 Commercial Street NE, police have updated the number to 12 victims.
Authorities also identified the man accused in the knife attack as 42-year-old Tony Latrell Williams of Bend. He was arrested near Commercial and Division Street NE, across from the shelter.
On Sunday evening, officers rushed to the area on reports of a violent attack. Those attacked Sunday night were taken to the hospital with “varying types of injuries,” according to Salem police.
Witnesses reported that Williams had been speaking to people in the lobby when he took out a knife and stabbed several people, adding that those who tried to intervene were also injured. Reports show that Williams had left the building and stabbed others who were sitting outside.
Details for the attack’s motivations are currently unknown, though officers say it does not appear to have been a targeted attack.
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11 people were stabbed at the Union Gospel Mission in Salem, June 1, 2025 (KOIN) -
11 people were stabbed at the Union Gospel Mission in Salem, June 1, 2025 (KOIN)
The victims included two Union Gospel Mission staff members and 10 guests of the shelter, with ages ranging from 26 to 57, police said.
“We are most concerned with those who are still in the hospital and for those who were just there. It’s a difficult thing to process,” Salem officials said. “Everyone is doing their best. This is a terrible tragedy, and we will come around it, and we will get through it.”
No further details are known at this time.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
