A WALMART shopper has been hailed for his bravery and heroism after confronting a man accused of carrying out a mass stabbing inside the supermarket.
Marine veteran Derrick Perry demanded Bradford Gille, 42, to drop his knife and throw it away.
Armed hero, Marine veteran Derrick Perry praised for confronting Michigan Walmart mass stabbing suspect in dramatic showdown[/caption]
Viral video shows Perry, whose armed with a small gun, walking toward Gille in the parking lot.
“Drop it,” Perry barked out.
“Throw the knife now. Throw it away,” he ordered.
The camera then panned toward the superstore and Perry was still heard ordering Gille to drop the weapon.
Gille was seen backing away from Perry who still had his pistol raised.
Perry held Gille at gunpoint until cops arrested him.
Scores of social media users have hailed Perry for his bravery.
In a Facebook post, his daughter-in-law described him as a “true hero.”
Another suggested he should be awarded the presidential medal of freedom.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” a third said.
Gille faces terror charges after allegedly stabbing 11 people inside the store in Traverse City on Saturday.
Police have released an image of the folding knife he’s accused of using to carry out his rampage. It has a 3.5 inch cutting blade.
Cops have since revealed more information about the timeline of the attack and Gille’s movements.
Gille traveled around 90 miles, from the town of Afton, to the store in Traverse City.
Walmart stabbing
ELEVEN people were stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Traverse City, Michigan, on Saturday afternoon
Suspect: Bradford Gille, 42
Who was attacked: Five men, six women
Victims ages: 29 to 84
Charges he faces: Terrorism and 11 charges of assault with intent to murder
Motive behind attack: Unclear. Cops said the stabbing appeared to be random
Potential sentence: Life if convicted of the terror offense
“He was somewhat familiar with the area,” Michael Shea, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff, said.
Shea said Gille had traveled to the Traverse City area before returning.
Gille was inside the supermarket for around 35 minutes before carrying out his alleged rampage.
He stepped foot in the supermarket at around 4:10pm and the stabbing began at around 4:45pm.
The stabbing happened in the checkout area and cops said Gille acted alone and the attack appeared to be random.
Five men and six women were attacked, one of whom was a Walmart worker.
Julia Martell, who was inside the store, said she saw the knife-wielding man running through the pharmacy area.
She told how he was pushing and stabbing people before suddenly changing direction inside the supermarket.
Martell revealed she saw one injured man in the frozen food section and told The New York Times there was “blood everywhere.”
HORROR SCENE
Steven Carter thought a terror attack was unfolding at the store, as per PBS.
He said he saw a woman get stabbed in the throat.
Tiffany DeFell compared the horror to a film scene.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said.
“This is something you see out of the movies. It’s not what you expect to see where you’re living.”
Witness Angela Helfrich described the ordeal as very panicky.
“I was way too close,” she told the NBC affiliate WDIV-TV.
“That could have been me or my family, and I feel awful for all the victims and their families.”
The victims’ ages ranged between 29 and 84 and all are expected to survive.
Noelle Moeggenberg, the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney, said Gille faces terror charges as he tried to instigate fear.
He was previously slapped with drug possession and vandalism charges.
Gille faces a life sentence if he’s convicted.
Cops have released a picture of the knife he allegedly used[/caption]
