Walmart Employee Stabbed to Death in Illinois

A man has been charged with murder after a Walmart employee was fatally stabbed in a store in Illinois on Sunday night.

Officers responded to the Walmart Supercenter located at 3849 Northridge Drive in Rockford after a report of a stabbing just after 6 p.m., the Rockford Police Department said in a news release posted on social media.

On arrival, they located an 18-year-old Walmart employee with a life-threatening stab wound to the back. Police said the man was transported to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.

Timothy Carter, 28, of Rockford, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the man's death. He was taken into custody and transported to the Winnebago County Jail.

No other details about the incident or a motive were immediately released.

"As with any investigations, further details and charges may come at a later date," Rockford Police said in the news release.

In a statement to Newsweek, a Walmart spokesperson said: "We're devastated to learn that one of our associates has died following a violent attack inside our Rockford, IL store. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and will continue providing our associates with the support they need.

"Actions like this are inexcusable, and we're grateful to law enforcement for their swift action in arresting the presumed attacker. We'll continue helping them in every possible throughout their investigation."

Violence isn't uncommon at Walmart stores across the country. The world's largest retailer operates roughly 4,600 U.S. locations and about 600 Sam's Club sites.

The retailer saw three shootings occur at its stores over the span of a few hours on January 28 this year. An employee was shot by a customer in a North Carolina store in one of those incidents, while the other two incidents involved shots being fired during altercations outside stores in Alabama and Arizona.

Also in January, a man and a woman were shot in the checkout area of a Walmart store after the male victim got into an argument with other men in Michigan. They sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

Those incidents came just months after a Walmart manager opened fire inside the break room of a store in Chesapeake, Virginia. Andre Bing, 31, killed six of his co-workers before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

And in 2022, a Walmart employee stabbed a colleague in the back during a confrontation at a store in Oklahoma.

Anyone with information about Sunday's incident is urged to contact the Rockford Police Department at 815-966-2900, on Facebook or on X, formerly Twitter.

Tips can be submitted anonymously by texting the word RPDTIP and your tip to 847411 or through the Rockford PD app. Anonymous tips can also be left with Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.

Update 3/25/24, 4:25 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/25/24, 9:47 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from Walmart.