See timeline of Traverse City Walmart stabbing attack, suspect to be charged with terrorism
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See timeline of Traverse City Walmart stabbing attack, suspect to be charged with terrorism
Bradford James Gille, 42, of Afton. entered the store at 4:10 p.m. and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities said. Gille is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. The 11 victims were both men and women and they ranged in age from 29 to 84 and included one Walmart employee. One patient was treated and released; two were in serious condition; and the rest are in fair condition. All were expected to survive the attack in Traverse City, Michigan, which is along Lake Michigan.. A 3 and 1/2 inch (nearly 9-centimeter) cutting blade was used in the attack, authorities say. A motive behind the attack by Bradford Gille remains unclear. The man is accused of entering a Walmart in Michigan and randomly stabbing 11 shoppers before being detained by bystanders in the store parking lot. Authorities are interviewing several other retail stores that were also seen in the shopping center.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A man accused of entering a Walmart in Michigan and randomly stabbing 11 shoppers before being detained by bystanders in the store parking lot is expected to face terrorism and multiple assault charges, authorities said Sunday.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said a motive behind the attack by Bradford Gille, 42, of Afton, Michigan, remains unclear. Gille, who Shea said had “prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations,” said very little as he was arrested. The man is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.
Shea praised the quick response by law officers who arrived within three minutes of receiving the call about the stabbing — as well as a group of bystanders who intervened and detained Gille in the parking lot of the store in Traverse City. The community of about 16,000 people is along Lake Michigan.
Bradford James Gille, 42, of Afton. Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office
TIMELINE
Gille entered the store at 4:10 p.m. and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities said. Calls began coming in to authorities at 4:43 p.m. on Saturday and a sheriff’s deputy arrived at 4:46 p.m.
He said the “remarkable” efforts likely prevented others from being harmed, adding a 3 and 1/2 inch (nearly 9-centimeter) cutting blade was used in the attack.
“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough,” Shea said at a news conference. “When you stop and look from the time of call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute.”
More information about the Traverse City Walmart mass stabbing was released at a press conference on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sheri McWhirter
Terrorism charges
Gille remained jailed and his name did not appear Sunday in Michigan’s online jail records. Messages left Sunday with phone numbers and an email listed for Gille were not immediately returned. His previous court cases did not have an attorney’s name listed in public records.
Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge will be brought due to the fact that the attack impacted the community, rather than one individual.
“It’s something that is done not to individual people, not to those individual victims — obviously they are most affected — but it is, we believe, in some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis,” Moeggenberg said. “So that is why we are looking at that terrorism charge.”
Shea said the 11 victims were both men and women and they ranged in age from 29 to 84 and included one Walmart employee. Munson Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Schermerhorn, speaking at Sunday’s news conference, said one patient was treated and released; two were in serious condition; and the rest are in fair condition. All were expected to survive.
Walmart employees and customers wait outside while law enforcement investigates the scene after a stabbing incident in Traverse City, Mich., Saturday July 26, 2025. (Jan-Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP) AP
Witness accounts
Steven Carter was loading his truck in the Walmart parking lot when he saw a man with a knife stab a woman in the throat.
About five minutes later, he said, the attacker was surrounded by shoppers in the parking lot, including one who was holding a gun. The group of five or six people kept yelling to the man to “drop the knife,” he said, and the man responded: “I don’t care, I don’t care.” He kept backing away from the crowd, before someone tackled and subdued him.
“At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack,” said Carter, who delivers customer orders from Walmart. “And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. And that was, it was just amazing. And it all happened fast. Like he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived.”
Emergency vehicles and uniformed first responders gathered in the parking lot of the shopping center that houses several other retail stores. Authorities also were seen interviewing employees, still wearing blue uniform vests and name tags as the investigation unfolded.
Tiffany DeFell, 36, who lives in Honor, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Traverse City, said she was in the store’s parking lot when she saw chaos erupt around her.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies. It’s not what you expect to see where you’re living.”
Shea said the weapon involved appeared to be a folding-style knife, adding that the stabbing started near the checkout counter of the store and that his victims were “not predetermined.”
Police tape is seen outside a Walmart where multiple people were stabbed in a violent attack Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Traverse City, Mich (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) AP
Walmart said in a statement that it would continue to work closely with law enforcement in the investigation. It said store associates would be paid while the store remains closed and that counseling services would be made available to them. It wasn’t known when the store would reopen.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a social media post that bureau officials were responding to “provide any necessary support.”
Traverse City is a popular vacation spot. It is known for its cherry festival, wineries and lighthouses and is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Casey reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed from Chicago.
US authorities seek to file terrorism and assault charges following Walmart knife attack
Bradford Gille, 42, of Afton, Michigan, is accused of randomly stabbing 11 shoppers. He is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. Gille entered the store at 4:10 pm and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities said. A 3 and 1/2 inch (nearly 9-centimetre) cutting blade was used in the attack, they said. The 11 victims were both men and women, and they ranged in age from 29 to 84, police said. the attack happened in Traverse City, a community of about 16,000 people along Lake Michigan, near the Canadian border. The victims were treated and released; two were in serious condition; and the rest are in fair condition, doctors said. It is not known if Gille has an attorney, and his name did not appear in Michigan’s online jail records. The attack impacted the entire community, rather than one individual, a prosecutor said.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said a motive behind the attack by Bradford Gille, 42, of Afton, Michigan, remains unclear.
Gille, who Shea said had “prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations,” said very little as he was arrested. The man is expected to be charged with one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.
Police tape is seen outside a Walmart where multiple people were stabbed in the alleged violent attack (AP)
Shea praised the quick response by law officers who arrived within three minutes of receiving the call about the stabbing, as well as a group of bystanders who intervened and detained Gille in the parking lot of the store in Traverse City.
The community of about 16,000 people is along Lake Michigan.
Gille entered the store at 4:10 pm and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities said. Calls started coming in to authorities at 4:43 pm on Saturday and a sheriff’s deputy arrived at 4:46 pm.
He said the “remarkable” efforts likely prevented others from being harmed, adding a 3 and 1/2 inch (nearly 9-centimetre) cutting blade was used in the attack.
“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough,” Shea said at a news conference.
“When you stop and look from the time of call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute.”
Terrorism charges
On Sunday, Gille remained jailed, and his name did not appear in Michigan’s online jail records.
Messages left Sunday with phone numbers and an email listed for Gille were not immediately returned. His previous court cases did not have an attorney’s name listed in public records.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea speaking at a press conference following the alleged attack (AP)
Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge will be brought because the attack impacted the community, rather than one individual.
“It’s something that is done not to individual people, not to those individual victims, obviously they are most affected, but it is, we believe, in some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis,” Moeggenberg said.
“So that is why we are looking at that terrorism charge.”
Shea said the 11 victims were both men and women, and they ranged in age from 29 to 84 and included one Walmart employee.
Munson Medical Centre Chief Medical Officer Doctor Tom Schermerhorn, speaking at Sunday’s news conference, said one patient was treated and released; two were in serious condition; and the rest are in fair condition. All were expected to survive.
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Munson Medical Centre treated 11 stabbing victims following the alleged attack (AP)
Witness accounts
Steven Carter was loading his truck in the Walmart parking lot when he saw a man with a knife stab a woman in the throat.
About five minutes later, he said, the attacker was surrounded by shoppers in the parking lot, including one who was holding a gun.
The group of five or six people kept yelling to the man to “drop the knife,” he said, and the man responded: “I don’t care, I don’t care.” He kept backing away from the crowd before someone tackled and subdued him.
“At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack,” said Carter, who delivers customer orders from Walmart.
“And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. And that was, it was just amazing. And it all happened fast. Like he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived.”
Emergency vehicles and uniformed first responders gathered in the parking lot of the shopping centre that houses several other retail stores.
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Law enforcement arrived to the scene three minutes after receiving a call about the attack (AP)
Authorities also were seen interviewing employees, still wearing blue uniform vests and name tags as the investigation unfolded.
Tiffany DeFell, who lives in Honor, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) from Traverse City, said she was in the store’s parking lot when she saw chaos erupt around her.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies. It’s not what you expect to see where you’re living.”
Shea said the weapon involved appeared to be a folding-style knife, adding that the stabbing started near the checkout counter of the store and that his victims were “not predetermined.”
Walmart said in a statement that it would continue to work closely with law enforcement in the investigation.
It said store associates would be paid while the store remains closed and that counselling services would be made available to them.
It wasn’t known when the store would reopen.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a social media post that bureau officials were responding to “provide any necessary support.”