Authorities in Maryland have identified the man suspected in a weekend stabbing spree in Montgomery County, Maryland, as well as the officer who fatally shot him.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General said Franklin Castro Ordonez, 19, of Gaithersburg, is the man suspected of stabbing four people Saturday morning in what police called a “completely random” attack
The office identified Justin Lee as the officer who shot the suspect. Lee has been with the department for about 1 and 1/2 years and is assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau, according to the Maryland attorney general’s office.
Both Lee and a another officer, who saw what happened, have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice.
Police said the series of stabbings began at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, when a woman was stabbed at the Unique Thrift Store in Aspen Hill. A short time later, two other women were stabbed in the neck while they were at a yard sale close by.
The three women were hospitalized for their injuries, with one listed as having critical injuries. All three are expected to survive, police said. A fourth male victim wasn’t hospitalized, and police said he had “superficial wounds.”
Montgomery County police Assistant Chief Darren Francke said during a news conference that Ordonez then “confronted a police cruiser” while armed with a butcher knife as he made his way to a wooded area shortly after 10:45 a.m.
In a news release, police said Ordonez did not comply with police commands to drop the knife and “lunged toward an officer,” before he was shot.
Ordonez died at the scene, Francke said. Police believe multiple shots were fired by the officer.
The Maryland attorney general’s office is investigating the shooting, per state law. The office is expected to release body camera footage within two weeks.
