Christian Homeless Ministry Hit with Stabbing Rampage – Suspect in Custody
On Sunday night, a violent incident occurred at a Christian homeless shelter in Salem, Oregon, where eleven people where stabbed. A male suspect, who had stayed at the shelter the previous night, was taken into custody by the police. Witnesses reported that the man attacked individuals shortly before he was to surrender his belongings at the check-in desk. Among the victims was a staff member who was working at the front desk when the attack began. The Union Gospel MissionS Executive Director stated that the incident was captured on video, which will assist law enforcement in their investigation. Residents described the chaos and fear during the stabbings. The shelter, established in 1952, has the capacity to house up to 150 people each night.
Eleven people were stabbed Sunday night at a Christian homeless shelter in Salem, Oregon.
A male suspect was taken into custody, Salem police representative Angela Hedrick said, according to NBC News.
Information about the suspect was not released as of early Monday, nor were condition updates available on the victims.
Union Gospel Mission of Salem Executive Director Craig Smith said the incident, which took place just after 7 p.m., involved a man who had stayed at the shelter Saturday night and returned Sunday.
“Something … set him off, and he evidently had a knife in his bag,” Smith said.
Smith said the incident happened just before the man would have surrendered his belongings to the staff.
The staff member at the check-in desk was among those wounded, Smith said.
Smith said police will be able to use the shelter’s video cameras to determine what took place.
“We’re sharing video with them,” he said. “The whole incident is on video.”
The shelter was founded in 1952 by a group of Christian men and can house up to 150 people per night, according to its website.
KGW-TV said a shelter resident named Tim said he was afraid of becoming a victim.
“The guy that is my friend and sleeps right next to me, he got stabbed,” Tim said. “He was, like I said, a foot away and he got stabbed in the back, so yeah, I thought I was next, for sure.”
Malik Law said he saw at least seven people stabbed, according to the Statesman-Journal.
“Everybody was basically trying to move out of his way,” Law said. “He started attacking them.”
VIDEO: At least 11 people stabbed at a homeless men’s shelter in Salem, Oregon https://t.co/P2Pp0QKrQl pic.twitter.com/tlqrxBsNQS
— Cedar News (@cedar_news) June 2, 2025
Dan Mills, 62, was working at the front desk when the stabbings took place.
“I just heard a scream,“ Mills said. “I was standing right at the front desk, I was probably no more than 10 feet away, and he stabbed one of the staff members.”
Bobby Epperly, 48, who lives at the shelter, said he came down from its second floor and saw “blood everywhere.”
“It’s like a horror movie,” he said.
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