Rockford mom found guilty of brutal knife attack at school bus stop

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A woman who cut another woman so severely during a fight at a school bus stop that she had to have her appendix removed has been found guilty in the attack.

Officers were called to the 3500 block of Elm Street, in the area of the Rockford Ridge Apartment (formerly Concord Commons), around 8:25 a.m. on May 2nd, 2023.

According to Rockford Police, as four women were dropping their children off at a bus stop, an argument ensued and escalated into a physical fight.

According to the police report, the fight began because of an encounter between two of the women’s children the previous day.

During the fight, police say Shatay Barney, 31, stabbed Lenora Fields, 30, with a box-cutter-like knife.

The Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office said Fields suffered a “severe wound to her torso and part of her intestines [were] hanging out.”

Authorities said Fields suffered a lacerated liver and her appendix needed to be removed. She also suffered slicing wounds to her face, bicep, and abdomen.

In court this week, Barney was found guilty of Aggravated Battery and faces up to 5 years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13th, 2025.

Andriana Carothers, 28, Ashlee Morris, 28, and Fields (not pictured) were each initially charged with Felony Mob Action.

Carothers was found guilty of disorderly conduct. Charges against Morris and Fields were dismissed.