Stabbing suspect attacked 9 victims during a 3-year-old's birthday party in Boise

A brutal attack at a Boise apartment complex on Saturday started with the interruption of a 3-year-old girl's birthday party and ended in the stabbing of nine people, six of whom were children.

Timmy Kinner is accused of stabbing them randomly after he was asked to leave the apartment complex on West State Street and Wylie Lane on Friday.

The victims included the 3-year-old birthday girl, two 4-year-olds and children ages 6, 8 and 12. Three adults also were injured in the attack. Four of the victims have life-threatening injuries and one child has been flown to Salt Lake City for medical treatment.

Kinner, 30, of Los Angeles, was arrested on nine felony charges of aggravated battery and six felony charges of injury to a child. He was booked into the Ada County Jail.

[ Opinion: Following stabbing attack, Boise translates welcoming words into community action ]

Boise Police Chief Bill Bones said Kinner has an extensive criminal record in multiple states, including charges for violent crimes, weapons and drugs. Kinner previously served time in a Kentucky prison. He has never been arrested in Idaho.

In April, the St. George (Utah) Police Department, arrested Kinner for theft. Further information on that arrest wasn't available Sunday.

At an emotional press conference on Sunday, Bones said that when officers arrived at the chaotic scene about 9 p.m. Saturday, bodies were scattered across the apartment complex — in the buildings, in the street and in the walkways.

Kinner had been granted access to an apartment for a few days but was asked by its resident to leave because of his behavior, police said. Kinner, who is not a refugee, returned Saturday night to "exact vengeance," first targeting children, then the adults who interceded to protect them. He was attacking any target available, Bones said.

"This is an attack against those who are most vulnerable, our children," Bones said. "It's untenable, unconscionable and is pure evil in my mind."

"The crime scene, the faces of the parents struggling, the tears coming down their faces, the faces of the children in the hospital beds, will be something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life," Bones said. "And so will every first responder that was there last night."

Bones said there is no specific evidence that the stabbings were a hate crime, but police are investigating. He said Kinner has not been cooperative with detectives.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter also spoke at the news conference. He said Boise has been recognized as a city that is successful in integrating refugees and immigrants, and this attack does not represent his welcoming city.

"This a chance to reaffirm what we stand for and who we are and those commitments are deep and long-lasting as we move forward," Bieter said.

Community support Megan Schwab, of the International Rescue Committee, spoke Sunday on behalf of the IRC and the refugees it assists.

"We are shocked and saddened by this senseless attack on members of the Boise refugee community," she said. "The IRC is working with local community members to provide counseling and support to refugees and other members of this community who are shaken by this tragic incident."

Schwab said Saturday's attack does not reflect on "the tremendous, welcoming nature of the Boise community" that IRC has have worked so closely with since it opened in 2006.

"It is heartbreaking to know that people and children who fled horrors of war and conflict to find safety in America, and the Boise community, had to experience this violence all over again," Schwab said.

She encouraged community members who want to support the victims to come to a vigil at 6 p.m. Monday at Boise City Hall. Donations can be made at rescue.org/Boise.

Refugee supporters have provided the mother of the child flown to Salt Lake City with a plane ticket so she can be with her child.

Sen. Mike Crapo tweeted about the attack on Sunday:

"Violence against our neighbors is unacceptable in all forms and I call on all of us to condemn this act of violence."

Bieter on Sunday issued a statement condemning the attack and asking for the community's support for the victims.

"Last night’s horrific attack does not represent Boise. I ask all Boiseans to join me in sending thoughts and prayers for the injured and their families at this terrible time. Our city has long stood as a welcoming city – a place of safety and kindness for those fleeing violence and oppression in their homelands. The senseless acts of one disturbed person does not change that," Bieter said.

Ahmed Abdulridha, a family friend of some the victims, said his wife, Sleena, visited the victims in the emergency room Saturday night.

"Around 100 people were in the ER last night to share with this family," Abdulridha told the Statesman. "My community, we share in happiness and sadness."

Abdulridha and neighbors from Wylie Street apartments said the victims include an Iraqi woman and her children, as well as members of a Syrian family.

According to Abdulridha, others who live in the Wylie Street apartments heard a woman screaming and saw people running outside. He said neighbors in the apartment complex are not familiar with Kinner and aren't aware of a motive for the attack.

Boisean Celeste Dimas has started a GoFundMe to support the victims.

"My heart is in pieces for our community. Boise is a welcoming place, we love people. Refugees leave their mother lands in search of safety and they should be safe here. There is no place for evil here," Dimas said.

This story was originally published July 1, 2018 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Stabbing suspect attacked 9 victims during a 3-year-old's birthday party in Boise."