(This story has been updated to add new information.)
One man was arrested in downtown Redding on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed three men and killed a woman at a treatment center on Pine Street.
Redding police said they arrested Christopher Jordan Witcher, 31, after they found him hiding in ditch not far from where the stabbing occurred.
Witcher had been staying for the past two weeks at the Market Street Manor Motel, where he was enrolled in a residential treatment program, police said. The motel also serves as transitional housing, police said.
Witcher moved to Redding earlier this year from Colorado, where he had served a prison sentence for a stabbing-related incident, police said. He had previously lived in Redding, police said.
Witcher and others were at a morning meeting shortly before 10 a.m. when the man suddenly attacked two residents and two staff members with a large butcher-style knife without apparent provocation, police said.
Witcher arrived in Redding earlier in 2024 after being released from prison in Colorado for a prior stabbing-related offense. He previously resided in the Redding area.
After the stabbing, Witcher ran from the area before police arrived. When officers got to the motel they found three men and one woman suffering from stab wounds, police said. Three of the four victims were taken to a Redding hospital.
The one woman died of her injuries at the hospital, police said. One of the men had major injuries to his face, while a second man "sustained significant stab wounds to his torso," police said. Both underwent emergency surgery at the hospital.
A third man had injuries that did not require hospitalization, police said. Tuesday's incident the second violent attack in Redding in four days.
Nearby schools were locked down while officers searched for Witcher, police said.
Christine Haggard is program manager for Abundant Life Academy, which operates a program at Market Street Manor. She said the three victims and the man arrested for the stabbings are residents of the motel.
She said the stabbings happened in a building that is attached to the motel on its east side. Haggard said they use the building for a classroom.
Abundant Life Academy is a faith-based nonprofit that uses referrals from other local nonprofit agencies to help homeless people in need of a sober living program.
Haggard said they were getting ready to start the academy's Future Story class when she heard screams and did not know what happened.
"It's a little overwhelming. God is with us. He's with our people. That's where I put my energy right now," Haggard said.
Last month, the Redding City Council approved a $1.2 million loan that would help the owner of the Market Street Manor turn the structure into a transitional apartment complex to help formerly homeless individuals.
Police said they plan to seek a murder charge for the one woman's death and attempted murder charges for allegedly stabbing the three men.
Tuesday's stabbings came days after a deadly shooting in south Redding.
On Oct. 4, two men were killed and three others were injured in a shooting near the Westwood Village shopping center.
On Oct. 6, police in Sparks, Nevada, arrested Trevor Evanoff, 18, for his alleged role in the Friday morning shooting in south Redding . Evanoff is being held without bail for a charge of murder in the Washoe County Jail.
David Benda covers business , development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Woman killed, two men hospitalized in stabbing attack in downtown Redding, police say
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