Man stabs 4 people at church in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say a man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Police spokesman Robert Gibbs says a man in his 20s jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday and walked up to the choir area where he began his attack.

The injuries to the four church-goers weren’t life-threatening. All four were being treated at hospitals.

An off-duty police officer and others at the church subdued the attacker and held him down until police arrived.

Gibbs says the attacker is in custody but police don’t yet know his identity, the motive for the stabbings, whether he had any ties to the victims or whether he regularly attended the church.

The stabbings occurred as the choir had just begun its closing hymns.

Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack. “I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again,” Sheehan said.

The church didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment on Sunday afternoon.