UPDATE: Victim in Walmart Stabbing Knew His Attacker

A stabbing that took place inside a Saukville Wednesday afternoon appears to have been unplanned, but the victim did know his attacker, Saukville Police Chief Bill Meloy said.

The victim, Michael Fosco, 54, of Port Washington, remained in intensive care at the Aurora Medical Center as of Friday morning, Meloy said.

"They knew each other, but I don't know to what degree," Meloy said Friday. "But this was a chance encounter."

Meloy said Fosco was stabbed in his lower abdomen, and though the chief was unsure of specific internal damages, he did know the man has undergone surgery.

The incident was seemingly unplanned, Meloy said, and the fact that it happened in Walmart was purely by coincidence.

"This was purely by chance," he said. "This was not planned or anything."

Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said his office expects to file charges against the suspect Friday.

From what officers can tell the suspect, a 28-year-old Port Washington man, did not follow the victim into the store. Rather, he happened upon him in the beverage aisle and stabbed him.

Police responded to a 911 call at about 2 p.m. Wednesday that a man had been stabbed inside the store. Officers arrived on the scene and took the suspect into custody with little incident, Meloy said.

The weapon, a folding knife with a three-and-a-half-inch blade, was recovered at the scene.

After the stabbing, a citizen followed the suspect to parking lot and prevented him from getting into a van.

"We don't encourage citizens to take action like this," Meloy said. "The man was armed and this guy kicked the van door shut. He had some sort of training in security, but that's dangerous."

Police are still trying to determine the motive for the stabbing. "The key element of any crime is intent," Meloy said.

Walmart store managers referred questions to their corporate offices. Company spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said while the store has been cooperating with the department in the investigation, the company would not release more details on the incident.

"I think what is important is this is a disturbing situation," she said.

Walmart was not shut down at any point during the incident or the investigation, though portions of the store surrounding the juice and beverage aisle, where the incident took place, where roped off, police said.

Meloy said he believes the swift response of the department Wednesday helped to keep more people safe.

"We were there within minutes of the call coming in," he said. "So, I think it was the quick response and quick actions by the officers that prevented anybody else from getting hurt."