A 9-year-old boy and woman were attacked by a knife-wielding man on Tuesday night in downtown Los Angeles, in what has been termed as an “unprovoked” and “heinous crime” by the Los Angeles Police.
Police reports indicate a man entered a Target store in the city and stabbed two people, critically injuring one of them, a 9-year-old boy, before being shot and killed by a security guard.
Los Angeles police chief, Michel Moore, said at a press conference that the deceased, who was described as 40 years old and homeless, entered the store, took a huge butcher-style knife from a shelf, and went up to a 9-year-old child, repeatedly chanting that he was going to murder the child.
According to Moore, he attacked the boy in the back when he attempted to flee, wounding his shoulder. He then moved to another part of the premise and stabbed a 25-year-old lady in the chest.
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He then headed to the main entrance of the store where he was met by an armed security guard, who fired at the suspect approaching him while still holding the knife. He was shot in the stomach and died at a nearby hospital.
A third individual was slightly hurt in a rush as she and other customers exited the business.
“The fact that you have an unprovoked attack on a child strikes all of us,” Moore said. “This isn’t something that’s acceptable in Los Angeles and by no means is anywhere near the norm.”
The boy is in critical condition but with a possibility of recovery while the woman is having surgery to repair her stabbing injuries.
