4 Injured In 'Completely Random' Stabbings In MoCo, Suspect Dead

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Four people were injured Saturday in a series of stabbings in Silver Spring, according to authorities. The suspect later died after he was shot by a Montgomery County police officer.

According to county police, officers were called to the Unique Thrift Store, located in the 12200 block of Veirs Mill Road, after receiving multiple calls about a stabbing there. When officers arrived, they found a woman suffering from stab wounds.

A minute after receiving calls about the thrift store stabbing, another caller reported that two women were stabbed near the 4100 block of Colie Drive. When officers arrived there, they found two women who had been stabbed in the neck as well as a man with what police called superficial injuries.

At a news conference Saturday, Montgomery County Department of Police Chief Darren Francke said the two women were sitting at a yard sale when they were stabbed.

The three women were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. One is in critical condition, police said, while the others had injuries not considered life-threatening.

According to Francke, witnesses of the second stabbing were able to tell officers where the suspect went. Officers located him in a nearby wooded area, where he confronted police carrying a butcher knife.

According to police, the suspect refused to drop the knife, prompting an officer to fire several shots, striking the suspect. Officers provided aid, but the suspect died at the scene, police said.

There is no indication the suspect knew the victims, Francke said, describing the assaults as “completely random.”

Francke said both the officer involved in the shooting and a witness officer were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

At Saturday's news conference, Thomas Lester with the Maryland Attorney General's Office said the shooting was captured by body-worn cameras. That footage and the identity of the officers involved will be released within 14 days.