Stillwater Boy Killed, 4 Others Stabbed While Tubing: Sheriff's Office

SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, WI — A 17-year-old Stillwater boy is dead and four other people were injured in a knife attack that happened Saturday on a Wisconsin river near the state's border with Minnesota, authorities said.

A 52-year-old Prior Lake man was arrested in the case.

"This is an ongoing investigation," authorities said Sunday, adding that they were still trying to determine a motive in the case.

"The St. Croix County Sheriff's Office wishes to thank the agencies that responded to assist with this traumatic incident and express our gratitude to the citizens that stepped in to provide care and comfort to the victims."

St. Croix County authorities were called to the river just before 4 p.m. Saturday on a report that several people were stabbed on the Apple River while tubing in Somerset Township.

At the scene, five people had stab wounds in their mid-sections, authorities said. Deputies and bystanders provided aid.

Two people were flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, while two others were taken to Regions by ambulance. The Stillwater boy was taken by ambulance to Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect left the scene, presumably still armed with a knife, according to investigators. He was spotted by witnesses near an exit point for tubers on the Apple River and was taken into custody, authorities said.

The suspect is being held at St. Croix County Jail, and formal charges are expected Monday, according to the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.

The four others who survived are now in stable condition, authorities said. They were identified as:

• 20-year-old man from Luck, Wisconsin
• 22-year-old man from Luck, Wisconsin
• 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota
• 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota

Patch will update this story as more information is made available.