Astoria, Ore. — A man was taken into custody Sunday evening after a violent stabbing at a homeless shelter in downtown Salem left eleven people hospitalized and shocked a community already grappling with rising needs among its unhoused population.
Police responded to a call at approximately 7:15 p.m. from the Union Gospel Mission, a long-standing shelter that serves up to 150 homeless men each night. According to Salem Police Department spokesperson Angela Hedrick, officers arrived to find a chaotic and bloody scene. Victims sustained “varying types of injuries,” she said, but no further information on their conditions was immediately available.
The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, had only just arrived at the mission the previous night and was checking in for his second stay when the attack occurred, said Executive Director Craig Smith.
“Something clearly set him off,” Smith told NBC News. “He evidently had a knife in his bag, and the altercation happened just before staff would have collected his belongings.”
One of the shelter’s employees was injured during the assault, which broke out at the mission’s check-in desk. Smith described the episode as sudden and unexpected, noting that the suspect had not previously shown signs of aggressive behavior.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene both inside and outside the building.
Bobby Epperly, 48, a resident staying on the second floor, said he first noticed the man outside, screaming incoherently at traffic and brandishing a knife. “It’s like a horror movie,” Epperly said in an interview with the Salem Statesman Journal. “I didn’t know people had already been stabbed inside until I went down and saw blood everywhere.”
Emergency responders quickly transported the injured to area hospitals. As of late Sunday, detectives remained on scene interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence. Authorities have not confirmed whether the attack was premeditated or what may have triggered it.
The Union Gospel Mission, located in the heart of Salem, offers shelter, meals, and rehabilitation services to unhoused individuals in the area. The attack marks one of the most violent incidents in the facility’s history.
“This is a place where people come for safety and hope,” said Smith. “We are deeply shaken.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. Messages seeking comment from local hospitals and additional shelter staff were not immediately returned.
