An Illinois resident faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Black Walmart employee in Rockford, Illinois.
The accused, 28-year-old Timothy Carter, was taken into custody post the assault, which took place on Sunday evening, March 24, 2024, at a Walmart store on 3849 Northridge Drive in Rockford. The victim was 18-year-old Jason Jenkins who succumbed to his stab wounds. Eyewitnesses reported that Carter, a white male, used a racially derogatory term during the assault, suggesting potential racial motivations behind the crime.
Store surveillance footage allegedly shows Carter selecting two knives—a silver kitchen knife and a red hunting knife—from the store’s shelves and moving around the store. He seemed to display hostility towards Black shoppers before approaching Jenkins from behind and stabbing him once in the lower back.
Following the attack, Jenkins cried out for help. This traumatic event was captured by a witness and shared with the police. Another witness reported hearing the racial slur from Carter after the attack. Jenkins was transported to Javon Bea Mercyhealth Riverside Hospital, where he later died due to his injuries.
Prior to the crime, Carter had revealed his mental health issues. He told police that he had reached out to a local mental health and addiction treatment center earlier that day, expressing suicidal thoughts. The center sent him to a hospital, however, he was discharged from the hospital without receiving the necessary mental health treatment before heading to the Walmart store.
Richard Rundall, a co-founder of Eliminate Racism 815, a Rockford-based organization committed to combating racism through education and advocacy, is seeking justice for Jenkins’s family. After scrutinizing the information in court documents, he argues the murder was fueled by racial animosity.
The death of Jenkins, a student at Auburn High School in Rockford, has deeply impacted the community. In a public statement, Walmart conveyed its heartbreak over the incident and extended condolences to Jenkins’s family, stating, “We’re devastated to learn that one of our associates has died following a violent attack inside our Rockford, IL store.”
Over recent months, a series of violent incidents have occurred at different Walmart locations. In January, a person was stabbed near the deli and produce area in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Walmart as the store was about to close.
In the subsequent month, a 59-year-old man was shot and killed in a Walmart parking lot in California when he tried to apologize for a minor car collision. Earlier in March, another fatal shooting took place at a Walmart in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Just a week before this latest incident, a former Walmart employee was arrested after shooting and injuring a person at a Walmart near Memphis, Tennessee.
In response to these incidents, Walmart stated, “The safety of our associates and customers is our top priority. We will work closely with local law enforcement throughout their investigation and refer any additional questions to them.”
On Wednesday, March 27, a judge ruled that the suspect, Carter, will continue to be held in Winnebago County Jail until his next court hearing, scheduled for April 9.
