A man suspected of stabbing four people in and around a thrift store in Maryland was shot dead by police on Saturday.

Around 10:36 a.m., Montgomery County police reportedly responded to multiple distress calls related to the stabbing at Unique Thrift Store on Veers Mill Road in Silver Spring and found a woman “suffering an obvious stab wound” inside the store. statement From the Montgomery County Police Department. Police received additional calls and found three other women and a man with a stab wound near the store. The women were taken to a local hospital, one of whom was reportedly in critical condition, the statement said, while the man was not taken because he was reportedly injured. (Related: Subway station brawl, teenage suspect charged in shootout with police)

A shooting incident involving a police officer occurred at the scene of a mass stabbing in Montgomery County, Maryland. The man reportedly stabbed four victims before confronting officers with a 12-inch meat cleaver. All the victims were expected to survive, but the suspect was killed. The suspect’s knife is in the photo here. pic.twitter.com/RSN7IpQW7B

— Christian Flores (@CFloresNews) July 22, 2023

About 10 minutes later, police found an unnamed suspect nearby. The suspect, who allegedly had a large meat cleaver, “disobeyed the police officer’s order to drop the knife and lunged at the officer, who then shot him dead,” the statement further said. Police said the suspect died at the scene.

“[A]At this point, the paper said it was a gratuitous attack,” said Montgomery County Police Deputy Commissioner Darren Franke of the stabbing. Associated Press (AP Communications). “Montgomery County is a very safe community. [when] People are having yard sales and just shopping at very popular thrift stores, but we don’t expect this. We will never accept that,” he reportedly added.

An investigation into the stabbing and shooting is ongoing, police said in a statement.