Blood-curdling Screams And A 'crazed' Look: Witnesses Describe Michigan Walmart Stabbing

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — It was a seemingly normal Saturday for Julia Martell, who was browsing nan aisles of her section Walmart pinch a friend erstwhile she heard group screaming.

Still, she didn't deliberation overmuch of nan disturbance, making nan presumption that location was a conflict a fewer aisles over. As she turned nan corner, she saw a man moving down different aisle, and past she saw his knife.

Eleven group ranging successful property from 29 to 84 were injured successful a stabbing attack astatine nan Traverse City shop Saturday, and a fishy was apprehended.

Bradford James Gille, 42, was quickly subdued by different shoppers and taken into custody erstwhile a lawman arrived, nan Grand Traverse County Sheriff said.

The man barreled past personification other adjacent and "angled toward me," Martell, 32, told NBC News. "And that's erstwhile I booked it down nan aisle."

She said nan man looked "crazed" and laser-focused connected getting to nan store's exit. She said she doesn't deliberation she was an intended target, aliases that she moreover peculiarly caught nan man's attention, but that she was uninjured because she sewage retired of nan measurement successful time.

Authorities person said Gille acted unsocial and that nan onslaught appeared to beryllium random without predetermined victims.

Julia Martell recounts seeing a man moving pinch a weapon astatine a Walmart successful Traverse City, Mich.Selina Guevara / NBC News

Martell stopped moving erstwhile she recovered a group of others, which is erstwhile she said nan fearfulness group successful "because I had nary thought wherever nan personification was."

"All I cognize is I saw a knife, and I ran distant from nan knife, and now I person nary thought wherever nan weapon is," Martell said.

"I'm still sitting and grappling pinch nan weight of realizing that it was benignant of a life aliases decease moment," Martell said. She said it's "surreal" that she was location erstwhile it happened, particularly successful retrospect aft seeing each of nan news coverage.

"I could person easy been next," she said.

On her measurement retired of nan store, she passed astatine slightest 2 men who had stab wounds. One, she said, was aged and was complaining astir his heart. The different made a joke astir needing a Band-Aid.

Officials person said that Good Samaritans successful nan shop subdued nan attacker earlier officers arrived and could apprehension him. Martell said that was happening connected nan different broadside of nan shop from wherever she ended up.

Michael Miller, 34, said he was 1 of those people.

He, on pinch his fiancée, Julia Ling, 27, and 4 of their kids, heard what they described arsenic blood-curdling screams erstwhile they walked into nan Walmart.

Ling grabbed nan young girls and pulled them down a breadstuff rack. "Anything to artifact him from them," she said.

But Miller ran toward nan action to help, she said.

Ling said she saw nan man stab 1 unfortunate successful nan nutrient section, past different by nan aforesaid checkout, earlier he ran toward her and her kids.

"He lunged astatine us," she told NBC News. Then, she said, he lunged astatine Miller, and nan group trying to extremity nan attacker pushed him retired nan door.

Julia Ling and Michael Miller, center, were astatine a Walmart successful Traverse City, Mich., pinch 4 of their children erstwhile a man allegedly stabbed 11 group connected Saturday.Selina Guevara / NBC News

The group extracurricular sewage nan fishy to nan crushed and Miller called 911, he said.

Officers arrived wrong minutes, Miller said. Once connected scene, he helped nan first responders find each of nan injured victims, he said.

Miller said he and immoderate different men astir him "reacted astatine nan aforesaid clip and reacted successful nan aforesaid way," to nan attacker, allowing them to activity together to subdue nan suspect.

"I deliberation we each saw each other. We each noticed each different and saw what was going on," Miller said. "I mean, decidedly thing that I deliberation everybody was benignant of successful connected together."

Both Miller and Ling called nan day's events a "wake up call" and expressed interest complete bringing their kids connected errands pinch them, particularly erstwhile nan different is engaged and 1 of them has to spell alone. Ling said she's already started reasoning astir making plans to spell erstwhile Miller is location from work.

But some of them person a small religion successful their organization aft truthful galore bystanders worked together to extremity nan violence.

Miller "kept saying to maine aft nan truth was, 'I only did what anybody should person done,'" Ling said.

"It should beryllium that way," Miller added.

Michigan prosecutors are seeking a coercion complaint against Gille, nan suspect, successful summation to 11 counts of battle pinch intent to murder, 1 for each stabbing victim.

All of nan victims received attraction astatine Munson Medical Center, wherever each but 1 stay hospitalized. Munson Healthcare spokesperson Catherine Dewey said 8 of nan victims are successful adjacent information and 2 are successful superior condition. All are expected to survive.