The Rockford police chief reported that one person remains in critical condition following the attacks, while investigators continue to search for a motive.

According to authorities, four individuals lost their lives and seven others sustained injuries in stabbings that occurred in northern Illinois on Wednesday.

Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd stated that a suspect is currently in police custody and undergoing questioning. Additionally, she mentioned that one of the wounded individuals remains in critical condition.

Redd mentioned that police received a medical call at 1:14 pm, followed by further requests for police and paramedics. Three individuals succumbed to their injuries at the scenes, while the fourth passed away at a hospital.

“At this particular time, we don’t believe there are any other suspects on the run or at large,” Redd stated. “Currently, we lack a clear motive for what prompted this individual to commit such a heinous crime.”

Redd urged residents in the area to review their home surveillance camera footage for any potential leads related to the attacks.

With a population of approximately 150,000, Rockford is situated 90 miles northwest of Chicago. This incident occurred shortly after the stabbing death of a teenage Walmart employee in Rockford.

"Today, we are shocked by another horrific act of violence against innocent members of our community,” stated Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.

On the city’s Facebook page, the mayor conveyed that “multiple jurisdictions” are currently “working on multiple crime scenes to develop an understanding of what transpired in an effort to prevent this from happening again”.

Initially, Rockford police reported that five individuals had been injured; however, a public information officer later clarified that two more victims were among those hurt.

The suspect, a 22-year-old man, was apprehended by a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy following officers' response to a reported home invasion, stated Sheriff Gary Caruana.

“One of the survivors, a young lady, ran from him,” Caruana recounted. “She sustained stab wounds to her hands and face and is in serious condition. A good Samaritan stopped to assist her and received stab wounds as well. He is currently being evaluated.”

Eric Patterson, a resident of Rockford, expressed his struggle to comprehend the violence on his street. “You can’t rationalize this,” he told the Rockford Register Star. “It’s almost like playing a video game, but it’s reality. It makes no sense. It’s like Grand Theft Auto. ‘I’m going to run over the mailman here. I’m going to stab a couple of people there. I’m going to go in this house over here.’”

Another resident, Vanessa Hy, described the experience of witnessing the arrest as surreal, likening it to a movie, when speaking to WREX-TV in Rockford.

Hy described the scene, stating, “Suddenly, we heard police running up on both sides of the house, screaming ‘Stop! Get down!’ Then they rushed into the backyard. After a few minutes, we saw them bringing the suspect down the driveway in handcuffs, and he was very bloody.”

Cassandra Hernandez, another neighbor, confided to the Rockford paper that she was friends with one of the victims.

“This is something you never expect here,” Hernandez reflected. “We have such wonderful neighbors.”