Mass stabbing by a sociopath maniac leaves one dead and 4 others injured while out river tubing in Minnesota

The stabbings took place near Apple River where people were tubing prior to the attack.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Minnesota teen was killed and four other people were wounded after a man went on a stabbing spree near a Wisconsin river during a day of water tubing.

The suspect, a 52-year-old white man, was arrested about 90 minutes after the attack Saturday at Apple River, St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said during a press conference.

Investigators believe the victims and suspect were tubing on the river in separate groups prior to the stabbings.

“At this time we’re not sure what started this incident,” Knudson told reporters Saturday night.

The 17-year-old boy was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other victims — one woman and three men — are in their early 20s, the sheriff said. Most of the wounds suffered were to the torso, he said.

A photo taken of the suspect by a witness helped authorities track down him down, Knudson said. The knife used in the attack was not located as of Saturday evening.

“It’s been a number of years since a stabbing has taken place, maybe 15 years now,” Knudson said of the area.

“I’m sure that anybody who witnessed this will never forget it, he added. “So it is a tragedy.”

The victims and the suspect were not immediately identified.

No charges have been announced, but could be confirmed by Monday. Authorities were continuing their investigation into Saturday night, Knudson said.

“We’re actually in the process of trying to divert some of the tubing traffic around our crime scene so that alone is causing some challenges, trying to get them off the river, gathering up what we can in a hard to get to area,” Knudson said.