SALEM, Ore. — Newly released surveillance footage reveals the chaos of the stabbing spree that injured 12 people at a homeless shelter in Salem on Sunday evening.
The alleged attacker, 42-year-old Tony Latrell Williams of Bend, is now facing one count of attempted murder and 11 counts of second-degree assault. According to court documents, Williams told police, “I did it but it was all in self-defense” — a claim he repeated during his arraignment Monday.
However, security camera footage appears to contradict that statement.
The video, captured in the front lobby of the Union Gospel Mission, shows Williams dropping a bag before suddenly attacking a nearby man. He then lunges at another person attempting to intervene, stabbing them with a knife. When a third man tries to calm him down, Williams stabs him multiple times — even continuing after the man attempts to get up from the floor.
Williams then fled the shelter, where police say he stabbed more victims outside. In total, 12 people were injured, ranging in age from 26 to 57. Two were staff members, while the others were either shelter guests or passersby.
Williams was arrested across the street from the scene, and police recovered an 8-inch knife believed to be the weapon used in the attacks.
Court records show Williams has a documented history of violence and mental health struggles. In at least three previous cases in Deschutes County, he was charged with offenses involving knives. After a 2016 arrest, a mental health evaluation found him unfit to proceed, and he was committed to the Oregon State Hospital.
Since then, records indicate Williams has cycled in and out of hospitals, mental health programs, and jail — a pattern that has now escalated with Sunday’s violent outburst.