Teenager killed and four injured after stabbing as he slides down river

A teenager died and four others were seriously injured in a stabbing incident Saturday as the group flowed down a Wisconsin river, ABC News reported.

St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said the scene was “chaotic” and “I’m sure anyone who witnessed it will never forget it,” he told reporters, adding: “It’s a tragedy”.

The incident happened while the group was traveling up the Apple River, located in Somerset. The 17-year-old boy, a Minnesota resident, was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead, according to Knudson.

In a social media post Saturday, the sheriff’s office provided more details.

“A suspect has been located and CARRIED IN, there is no further threat to the public,” the agency’s message read, adding that officials were still investigating:

According to the ABC report, the suspect was a 52-year-old man from Minnesota.

“Again, five people. Four were evacuated. Two by ambulance, two by plane,” Knudson told a news conference, noting that among the four individuals were a woman and three men, believed to be in their 20s.

Photos showed people on the river and a WCCO reporter said it was unclear if the incident was random:

BREAKING: One person is dead and four others in critical condition after being stabbed on the Apple River in Somerset, Wisconsin, a popular tubing area. Authorities say the suspect is now in custody and it is unclear whether it was a random attack. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/NNuAfwU88N

—Kirsten Mitchell (@Kirsten_TV) July 30, 2022

“Everyone thinks everyone was tubing. Where they all started, I don’t know, from which campground or which park. But they were all tube and seemed to go down simultaneously with these two groups,” Knudson continued:

He also told reporters that the information he had received was that there were several “wounds to the chest, stab wounds”. However, he did not know how much each person suffered or where they were.

During this time, authorities searched for the knife and interviewed several witnesses.

Authorities are still searching the Apple River for the knife used in the attack. They shut down the tubes as soon as it happened. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/sczPnEZprb

—Kirsten Mitchell (@Kirsten_TV) July 31, 2022

“We are trying to divert some of the tube traffic around our crime scene,” Knudson said at the time. “That alone causes problems trying to get them out of the river and mustering what we can in a hard-to-reach area.”