On Saturday night, tragedy struck in an Idaho apartment complex after a knife-wielding man infiltrated a 3-year-old’s birthday party and attacked the adolescent partygoers.
According to The New York Times, the incident occurred one day after the suspect, who has since been identified as 30-year-old Los Angeles-native Timmy Early Kinner, was asked to leave the property because of his erratic behavior. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The following day (Saturday), Kinner went back to the Wylie Street Station Apartment, armed with a knife, and attacked and injured nine people, including a three-year-old, who was celebrating her birthday, two four-year-olds, a six-year-old, an eight-year-old and a 12-year-old. The rest were adults, who tried to intervene.
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According to Boise Police Chief, the victims are alive but four have sustained life-threatening injuries. Kinner was arrested and charged with nine counts of aggravated battery and six counts of injury to a child, however, a motive has yet to be determined.
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The complex, where the incident took place, is home to many refugees, CBS News reports. Although Kinner is not a refugee, he lived there temporarily until he was asked to leave on Friday. The following day, during the three-year-old’s birthday party, which was taking place a few doors down from his old apartment, he returned and attacked the birthday girl and guests.
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“Our victims are some of the newest members of our community. They’re victims of their past homes who have fled violence from Syria, Iraq, and Ethiopia,” the police chief said. “This was an attack against those who are most vulnerable —our children.”
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Although there has not been evidence to prove the attack was a hate crime, officials are looking into the possibility due to “the nature of the location and the victims.”
