On March 27, 2024, four people were killed in a random stabbing and beating spree on the city’s east side. Three days before that, on March 24, 2024, a man walked into the Rockford Walmart on Northridge Drive and fatally stabbed an employee.
According to court documents, the man who killed 18-year-old Jason Jenkins inside the store is 28-year-old Timothy Carter, of Cabery, Illinois, a small town about 140 miles southeast of Rockford.
Here’s a timeline of events from March 24, 2024. All times are approximate.
According to police reports, Timothy Carter tells police that between 11 a.m. and noon on March 24, he seeks mental health treatment at the Rosecrance Behavioral Health facility in downtown Rockford. He’s evaluated and reportedly threatens suicide. At 11:45, Carter is transported by ambulance to UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital.
Carter leaves SwedishAmerican Hospital. He tells police he was discharged after being refused mental health treatment. Sources close to the case say Carter left the hospital on his own before he could be treated.
It isn’t clear where Carter goes from the hospital. What police allege is that around 6 p.m., he arrives at the Northridge Walmart and enters the store. According to surveillance video, a man authorities say is Carter, can be seen grabbing two knives—a kitchen knife and hunting knife—from shelves.
A police report states that Carter is seen on camera walking the aisles giving “dirty looks” to various Black people. He then approaches 18-year-old store employee Jason Jenkins and stabs him once in the lower back.
According to witnesses, Carter, who is white, was uttering racial slurs at Jenkins, a Black man, during the attack.
After hearing screams in a nearby aisle, shopper Heather Rykes witnesses Timothy Carter holding a knife. She starts shooting cellphone video as several people, including two security guards from Brosnan Security, tell Carter to drop the weapon. Carter drops the knife and is put in handcuffs by security guards.
Police and EMTs arrive and Carter is arrested. Jenkins is rushed to the hospital. He’s pronounced dead at 7:48 p.m.
Timothy Carter appears in court and is denied pretrial release.
Hundreds attend a public vigil for Jason Jenkins in the Northridge Walmart parking lot. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Police Chief Carla Redd and several church leaders are in attendance.
A grand jury indicts Timothy D. Carter on three counts of first-degree murder and a hate crime.
The family of Jason Jenkins brings a wrongful death lawsuit against Walmart, Brosnan Risk Consultants, and Timothy Carter, claiming the parties were negligent. The suit claims that Walmart and Brosnan had ample time to stop Carter and that they failed to call police in a timely manner.
Timothy Carter remains in the Winnebago County Jail. He’s due back in court Friday, March 28, for a status hearing. He’s pleaded not guilty. A trial date has not been set.
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