Woman, 63, Stabbed Multiple Times at Inkster Dollar Tree by Man Who Grabbed Store Knife

Stephen Ross, 22, allegedly grabbed a knife off the shelves and stabbed Phyllis Robinson multiple times at a Dollar Tree in Inkster, Michigan. Robinson remains in critical condition.

Dollar Tree Shopper Stabbed in Unprovoked Attack in Inkster, Michigan

A 63-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times inside a Dollar Tree in Inkster, Michigan, after a man allegedly pulled a knife from the store's own merchandise and attacked her without warning, Law & Crime reports.

Officers from the Inkster Police Department responded to the Dollar Tree at 3:15 p.m. on Monday after reports of a stabbing. Witnesses at the scene described the assault as unprovoked. The victim, Phyllis Robinson, was transported to a hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

Stephen Ross, 22, was arrested at the scene and is currently in custody. Police said Ross "retrieved a knife from merchandise inside the store" before stabbing Robinson "multiple times." He faces three charges: assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and assault with a dangerous weapon. An arraignment was scheduled for Thursday.

Local NBC affiliate WDIV reported that both Ross and Robinson were known regulars at the store. Ross lived in a group home located approximately half a mile away.

An employee of the group home, who spoke to WDIV anonymously, described Ross as someone prone to sudden anger. "He can get real angry about nothing — like any little thing could tick him off," the employee said. "Even a person telling him 'no' would tick him off." The employee added that he had seen Ross roughly an hour before the alleged attack and that he did not appear agitated at the time.

Upon hearing about the stabbing, the same employee said he immediately feared Ross was responsible. "A lady said a random man walked in Dollar Tree," he told WDIV. "In my mind, I'm trying to hope that it's not him, but I already think it in my mind. I'm like, man, hold on, that's too close." He said he had "hoped that it wasn't him, but it was him."

No additional court hearings beyond the arraignment appear in Ross's online records.

Source: Law & Crime