VIOLENCE HAPPENS: Small-town USA Bloomington, IL scene of spree knife attack

Who knows if it was just a lunatic intent on bringing spree killings or if it was a man angry at the world.  In either event, around 2:30pm yesterday, in Bloomington, IL, a small city located in the bucolic pastures and grain fields of Central Illinois, a 35-year-old man went on a rampage with a knife, stabbing two people and attacking a third before police arrived.

The attack happened right on the old courthouse square.

Bloomington and its sister city Normal, IL are the home of Illinois State University, Wesleyen, and a couple of other smaller colleges, not to mention Country Companies and State Farm Insurance.   It’s generally a “safe” place to live.  Not yesterday for the people in downtown, just yards from the local (“no guns” zone) newspaper.  In fact, one of the victims was a Pantagraph employee.

Another of the stabbing victims was a tourist from Germany.  Welcome to America.

It just goes to prove that violence can happen anywhere at any time and living one’s life in denial has no survival value.  It also goes to show that disarming your employees (at the Pantagraph) has no survival value either.

Carry your gun.

Your intrepid writer rolled through about 15-20 minutes after this happened by happenstance.

All photos are via The Pantagraph.

BLOOMINGTON (Pantagraph) — Downtown Bloomington was the scene of two stabbings and another attack Wednesday afternoon and the man police say is responsible is in custody.

Police and rescue personnel responded to the first stabbing report about 2:30 p.m. Within minutes, two other reports sent more police and rescue units swarming into the area around the downtown square, near Jefferson and Main streets.

“This is believed to be an isolated incident and at this point, we do not believe there are any additional threats to public safety,” said Sgt. Clayton Arnold in a statement late Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities said the stab wounds do not appear to be life-threatening. BPD late Wednesday identified the suspect as Jason L. Hopkins, 35, of Bloomington, posting his identity on the department’s Facebook page. He faces preliminary charges of aggravated battery and is expected to appear in McLean County Circuit Court Thursday or Friday to face formal charges.

One of the stabbing victims was a Pantagraph employee working outside near the company’s parking lot at Madison and Jefferson streets. He had two stab wounds and was transferred by ambulance to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery late Wednesday afternoon.