A man in Indiana faces preliminary charges of aggravated battery after injuring several people in a knife attack outside the Central Library in Indianapolis.
According to jail records obtained by the Indy Star, Gary Madison, 57, faces three preliminary charges of battery by means of a deadly weapon in an incident that hospitalized four victims, including the suspected attacker.
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Madison is charged for the stabbing of James Anderson Jr., 28, Edward Atkins, 26, and Johnny Gilson, 46. Two of the victims were initially listed in critical condition. They are now in serious, but stable condition.
The attack was called out to police as a “mass casualty” because at the time of incident, so much was unknown.
“They had 40 to 50 people standing out in front and were unclear on how many people were actually injured,” Battalion Chief Rita Reith with the Indianapolis Fire Department said. “That’s where the mass casualty called in came from.”
While law enforcement suggests it appeared to be an isolated incident, the Battalion Chief says there was “a lot of chaos” and “a lot of movement.”
Witnesses and police say the attack took place at the north end of the American Legion Mall across the library.
The Indy Star further reports that firefighters could be seen hosing away bloodstains from the stairs leading to the Indianapolis Public Library’s central branch.
One of Madison’s victims, Brandy Smith tells the news agency that he had “pulled out a bullhorn” and looked at her with “evil eyes.”
“I told him to stop. He came after me with a knife. He tried to stab my pregnant friend,” she said, adding that though she had been a target, she was not severely hurt.
Two friends came in to help her, leaving one injured and another sent to the hospital.
The motive for the attack is not yet known.
Photo credit: Twitter / @indianapolis_NC
