Minnesota Teen Stabbed To Death While Tubing In Wisconsin; 4 Others Hurt

SOMERSET, WI — A 17-year-old boy died and four others were severely injured after they were stabbed Saturday while tubing on the Apple River near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, according to police.

The incident occurred about 3:45 p.m. roughly 100 yards upriver from Milepost 9 of Highway 35/64 in Somerset, St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said at a press conference published in full by KSTP. Somerset is about 35 miles northeast of the Twin Cities.

The teen who died was from Minnesota, according to Knudson, as was the attacker, a 52-year-old man who was in custody Saturday evening. The other four victims — one woman and three men — were in their 20s and suffered numerous torso injuries, police said. Two were airlifted and two were taken by ambulance to receive treatment, according to Knudson.

It’s been about 15 years since there was a stabbing in Somerset, Knudson said. The village has a population of roughly 3,000.

“I don’t know what to make of it,” he said. “I’m sure that anybody that witnessed this will never forget it.”

When police arrived, the river was difficult to access and by the time officers reached the scene, the attacker had fled, according to Knudson. Police worked with tubers to evacuate the area, divert tubing traffic and set up a perimeter, and numerous agencies assisted in the search for the suspect, although it was a citizen who eventually found him, about 90 minutes after the attack, Knudson said. The assailant had been with a group of six to eight tubers at the time of the stabbing, according to Knudson.

Police hope to bring charges against the man Monday or Tuesday, Knudson said.