SALEM, Ore. — In an alarming incident, eleven people were stabbed at the Union Gospel Mission men's shelter on Sunday evening, according to Salem police. The authorities were called to the scene at around 7:15 p.m. with reports of multiple victims; the shelter is located at 777 Commercial Street Northeast in Salem.
The victims, all suffering from "varying types of injuries," were promptly taken to Salem Health for medical treatment after the violent episode unfolded, while the roads around the area were temporarily shut down but have since been reopened, according to information provided by KGW and KKTV. The suspect, a man whose identity has yet to be disclosed, was reportedly taken into custody, although specifics surrounding the arrest have yet to be released.
According to a report from The Guardian, the attacker was considered a newcomer to the Union Gospel Mission, having spent the previous night at the facility, said Craig Smith, the site's executive director. An individual who witnessed the incident and has been frequenting the mission for seven months, known only as Tim, discussed his proximity to the attack, “The guy that is my friend and sleeps right next to me, he got stabbed," he further shared his immediate fear, "He was, like I said, a foot away and he got stabbed in the back, so yeah, I thought I was next, for sure," Tim told KGW.
The Union Gospel Mission's men's facility opened its doors in 2021, nearly doubling its capacity to house individuals with 284 beds in its 57,000-square-foot space. As detectives continue to investigate, no further information concerning the tragedy and its aftermath has been made available to the public, though there's an expectation for security measures at the mission, to be heightened in the wake of the stabbing to prevent future incidents, as indicated by the concerns expressed by individuals affected by the event.
