Woman Stabbed At Church For Wearing Fur, Heights Police Say

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — A woman was stabbed at Fairmount Presbyterian Church on Wednesday night. One person is in custody and has been charged with attempted murder, according to Cleveland Heights Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg.

"I would like to reassure everyone that our preliminary investigation has revealed that this incident was not an attack on the church nor was it religiously motivated. From information learned thus far, it appears that the suspect targeted the victim simply because she was wearing fur," Mecklenburg said in a statement.

The wounded woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Fairmount Presbyterian is located at Coventry and Scarborough. Callers told police a woman had been stabbed at the church. When officers arrived the suspect, a 35-year-old woman, had been disarmed and was being restrained by other people in the church. Officers took the woman into custody and took her to jail.

Mecklenburg praised the bystanders who disarmed and restrained the woman. "We would like to commend those who were present at the church at the time of this incident for their quick actions in contacting the police to report the incident and to those who restrained the suspect to prevent further harm to the victim or anyone else present."

The suspect has been charged with attempted murder and felonious assault. She received a $1 million cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court on November 25. Detectives are still investigating the incident.

"While we consider this to be an isolated incident, we recognize the heightened concern it may create in the community. Therefore, the police department will provide additional visibility in the area of Fairmount Presbyterian for their upcoming services this weekend," Mecklenburg said.