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Man Allegedly Stabs 6 Refugee Kids, 3 Others At Children’s Birthday Party In Act Of 'Pure Evil'
Timmy Earl Kinner's alleged attack at a 3-year-old's birthday party was "unconscionable," police chief says.
A man in Idaho went on a stabbing spree at a children’s birthday party, injuring nine people, including six kids, authorities say.
The suspect, Timmy Earl Kinner, 30, from Los Angeles, was arrested on Saturday night, according to Boise Police.
“This was an attack on those who are most vulnerable: our children,” Boise Police Chief William Bones said. “It’s untenable, unconscionable and is pure evil in my mind.”
The injured children range in age from 3 to 12, and the adults got hurt while trying to protect them. All of the victims are refugees from Syria, Iraq or Ethiopia. Police have not released a motive for the crime, and
they say Kinner has not been cooperative. They do not think the attack was a hate crime.
Kinner was staying at the Wylie Street Station Apartments in Boise with a friend on Friday night, the same complex where there was a birthday party for a 3-year-old girl, but he was asked to leave because of his behavior, according to KTVB in Idaho.
He came back on Saturday around 8:30 p.m. to “exact vengeance,” according to Bones. “Not just on those [he had stayed with] ... but on any target which was available.”
Two kids, 12-year-old Esrom Habte and 11-year-old Fathi Mahmoud, were playing behind their apartment when the attack happened, according to KTVB.
“We saw a killer. We didn’t want to get stabbed,” Esrom said. “We saw him saying bad words ... and stabbing a kid [and] a grown up really hard and a lot of times.”
Esrom quickly tried to help, grabbing a group of kids and hiding in a closet while he called authorities.
“We were on the phone with the police,” Esrom said. “And we were waiting until they told us they caught him and then we went outside.”
The 3-year-old girl was seriously injured in the attack. There were no fatalities, but four of the victims were treated at a nearby hospital for what police called life-threatening injuries.
When police arrived, Bones said, there were bodies strewn across the whole apartment complex, including the street and the walkways.
Bones said he’ll never forget what he saw at the apartment complex that night.
“The crime scene, the faces of the parents struggling, the tears coming down their faces, the faces of the children in the hospital beds, will be something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” Bones said on Sunday. “And so will every first responder that was there last night.”
Police said Kinner has a lengthy criminal record that spans numerous states, and he’s spent time in prison for violence against other people. He does not have a record in Idaho.
Kinner is expected to be in court on Monday. He’s charged with nine counts of aggravated battery and six counts of injury to a child
A candlelight vigil is planned for Monday night at City Hall.
[Photo: Ada County Sheriff’s Office]
