UPDATE: 11 stabbed at Union Gospel Mission downtown, suspect arrested
A stabbing at the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Salem Sunday evening left 11 people hospitalized and landed a suspect in police custody, according to the Salem Police Department.
Officers responded around around 7:15 p.m. to a report that multiple people had been stabbed at the UGM. The homeless shelter is located at 777 Commercial St. N.E., across the street from the Salem police station.
Eleven victims were taken to Salem Hospital for medical treatment, “each with varying types of injuries,” according to Salem police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick. She said the victims’ conditions were unknown as of Sunday night.
Hedrick said in an email that “the male suspect” was in custody. She did not identify him or the victims.
Police closed off southbound Commercial Street at the intersection with Northeast D Street.
Traffic was being diverted west on D Street to Northeast Front Street, Salem police said on X just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Hedrick said shortly after 9:30 p.m. that detectives were still investigating the stabbing and that she could not share any additional information.
This is a developing story.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
