Marine Helps Stop Knife Attack That Injured 11 at Michigan Walmart

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN— Eleven people were injured in a stabbing rampage at a Walmart in a small Michigan town Saturday before a group of bystanders, including a former Marine, tackled and restrained the suspect in the parking lot, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Bradford James Gille, 42, of Afton, Michigan, entered the store at 4:10 p.m. and waited for 35 minutes before launching the random attack with a foldable knife, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said.

Victims ranged in age from 29 to 84, and all are expected to survive, said Dr. Thomas Schermerhorn of Munson Medical Center. One person has been released, two remain in serious condition, and the others are in fair condition.

Gille faces one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. He is expected to be arraigned this week and could face life in prison, officials said.

Two men who intervened, Matt Kolakowski, a 39-year-old former Marine, and his brother-in-law Chris O’Brien, were in town on a family vacation. Kolakowski said they heard a store employee shout “He’s got a knife!” as the store erupted into chaos.

Kolakowski pursued the suspect with a grocery cart, witnessing additional stabbings before striking Gille in the ankle with the cart outside the store. Another bystander, also a Marine, drew a handgun and ordered the suspect to drop his weapon.

“I just turned into somebody that I haven’t been in a long time and just stayed on top of him until the deputy ran up and jumped on top of him with a rifle in his face, and I helped the deputy arrest him,” he said in an interview.

He then assisted officers in treating the wounded, applying tourniquets and offering aid to victims still in shock.

“It was just mass panic in the parking lot — ambulances, lights everywhere, sirens everywhere, blood everywhere,” Kolakowski said.

Authorities say the attack appears to have been random. 

“The victims were not predetermined,” Shea said. “There is no indication of additional suspects.”

Gille has a prior record that includes assault and drug violations, and officials are still investigating his motive. Though it is unclear why he was in Traverse City, he may have previously lived in the area, Shea said.

Traverse City is a Lake Michigan tourist destination of about 16,000 people.