The suspect in a mass stabbing attack at the Traverse City Walmart store Saturday that left 11 victims hospitalized has been identified as 42-year-old Bradford James Gille of Cheboygan County.

At a joint press conference of law enforcement and Munson Medical Center staff Sunday, Grand Traverse Sheriff Mike Shea said a motive in the attack is still unclear – but noted that Gille has a history of prior assault and controlled substance incidents. Gille will be charged and arraigned Monday or Tuesday on one terrorism count – which comes with a potential life sentence – and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. The victims in the case range from 29 to 84 years old and are all expected to survive, Munson representatives said.

Shea said Gille entered Walmart at 4:10pm Saturday and remained in the store until he began his attack near the checkout area. The first 911 call came into authorities at 4:43pm. Gille used a folding knife with a 3.5-inch cutting blade to stab multiple victims, with most of the assaults occurring inside the store. One assault occurred in the vestibule, while another occurred just outside the store. Though many of the victims were older, Shea said the attacks appeared random and not targeted toward any specific age group or demographic. One Walmart employee was among the victims.

A deputy arrived at Walmart at 4:46pm, within three minutes of the first 911 call. Shea said “multiple citizens including one who was armed with a pistol were confronting the male suspect in the parking lot and preventing him from harming further people and leaving” when the deputy arrived. The deputy then took the suspect into custody. Videos of the intervening bystanders have circulated widely on social media; Shea confirmed those videos appeared legitimate and that the suspect seen in them appears to be Gille.

Shea declined to confirm the identities of the intervening bystanders, commending them for being “willing to step up and take action” but asking the media and public to respect their privacy. “Give them a little space and say, ‘Atta boy,’” Shea said, leaving it up to the individuals involved to identify themselves and issue public statements if they wish to do so on their own.

Shea said Gille’s motive is still unclear, as are the circumstances that may have set him off at the store. Shea said the suspect spoke only minimally during the incident and his arrest. However, Shea said that “our detectives, with assistance from the FBI, interviewed him at length, and that will be part of the investigation as it moves forward.” The sheriff said authorities were “not immediately aware” of why Gille was in Grand Traverse County rather than in Afton where he resides. Shea said it appeared Gille may have lived in Grand Traverse County in the past and had recently traveled to the area, possibly on Saturday prior to the attack. Addressing rumors on social media, Shea said he was not aware of any connection between Gille and the Pines or the unhoused community in Traverse City.

While the names of the victims have not been released – and Munson representatives noted they are limited in what information they can share publicly due to patient privacy laws – their ages and conditions were shared Sunday. The victims include an 84-year-old female, an 82-year-old male, an 80-year-old female, a 70-year-old male, a 67-year-old female, a 65-year-old female, a 55-year-old male, a 40-year-old male, a 39-year-old male, a 38-year-old male, and a 29-year-old female.

Patients began arriving at Munson Medical Center at 5:01pm Saturday, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Schermerhorn, with the hospital’s trauma team activated to respond to the event. Initially, 6 patients were in critical condition and 5 in serious condition. However, as of Sunday afternoon, one patient had been treated and released, with 8 of the remaining patients in fair condition and 2 in serious condition. All of the victims are expected to survive, Munson representatives said.

When asked why Gille would face a terrorism charge – in addition to 11 assault-with-intent-to-murder charges – Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg said the nature of a mass attack means there aren’t just individual victims. Rather, such an incident is “in some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community, and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis. So that is why we’re looking at that terrorism charge.”

Moeggenberg said free counseling services will be offered to anyone in the community who needs them, something she said is extended “whenever there is an act of terrorism.” Services will be available Monday-Wednesday 10am-7pm in the Innovation Center on Northwestern Michigan College's main campus. Services could be further extended depending on demand, Moeggenberg said. She added that the Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis and Access Center has 24/7 services available at 410 Brook Street and also provided a crisis hotline number of 833-295-0616 for the community.