Local law enforcement in Traverse City, Michigan, applauded shoppers who thwarted the stabbing attack that left 11 people injured at a Walmart on Saturday, preventing further harm.

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea praised the group of bystanders who intervened and detained the suspect in the parking lot while waiting for law enforcement to arrive.

“I commend them,” the sheriff said. “It’s not very often we have citizens that are willing to step up and take action.”

Sheriff’s officials commended deputies for their quick response; the first sheriff’s deputy, who was in the area at the time, arrived at the scene within three minutes of the initial 911 call. Authorities identified the suspect as Bradford Gille of Afton, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon, but said a motive remained unclear.

Gille entered the store at 4:10 p.m. and remained there for some time before the attack began, authorities said. The sheriff said the “remarkable” efforts likely prevented others from being harmed, adding a 3 and 1/2 inch cutting blade was used in the attack.

“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough,” Shea said at a news conference. “When you stop and look from the time of call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute.”

Gille remained jailed and his name did not appear Sunday in Michigan’s online jail records. 

I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough.

Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea

Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge will be brought due to the fact that the attack impacted the community, rather than one individual.

“It’s something that is done not to individual people, not to those individual victims — obviously they are most affected — but it is, we believe, in some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis,” Moeggenberg said. “So that is why we are looking at that terrorism charge.”

Shea, the sheriff, said the 11 victims were both men and women and they ranged in age from 29 to 84 and included one Walmart employee. Munson Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Schermerhorn, speaking at Sunday’s news conference, said one patient was treated and released; two were in serious condition; and the rest are in fair condition. All were expected to survive.

Shea asked that the bystanders who intervened be granted privacy for the time being.

“…I would ask that we all give them a little space and say attaboy,” he stated.