The Ketchikan Police Department’s logo is shown on a lectern at KPD headquarters in March 2022. (Eric Stone/KRBD)
Three people were stabbed in two separate incidents in Ketchikan over the weekend, according to police. Police say none of the victims knew their attackers.
The first stabbing happened on Saturday at a restaurant inside The Landing hotel. In a sworn statement to the court, police say 45-year-old Steven Smith of Salem, Oregon attacked a man as the victim was putting condiments on his breakfast.
Smith allegedly stabbed the victim in the face three times and punched him, breaking his nose. Police say the man needed 16 stitches.
Ketchikan Police Lt. Andy Berntson says there’s no clear motive for the attack.
“(There’s) no significant or any true background that would show that these gentlemen knew each other or had any kind of relationship,” he said by phone Monday. “Certainly, these investigations are ongoing, but to this point, again, no true motive in that case has been established.”
Smith is charged with felony first-degree assault in the case and is in custody in lieu of a $150,000 cash bond.
In another case, police arrested a man on Sunday after they say he stabbed two people at Ketchikan’s Plaza Mall. Police identify the suspect as 31-year-old Brian Calhoun of Ketchikan. In court filings, police say Calhoun pulled a knife, threatened to harm himself, and then tackled a nearby woman who was waiting for a cab outside the mall.
Berntson says a friend of the woman tried to help and was hurt as well.
“Our officers contacted Mr. Calhoun, placed him into custody basically without incident and placed him under arrest,” Berntson said.
Police say Calhoun stabbed both victims in the back, and the man also sustained injuries to one of his hands. None of the injuries were reported to be life-threatening.
Calhoun is facing felony first-degree assault charges. He’s in custody at Ketchikan’s jail, and bail is set at $100,000.
Like the incident at The Landing, Berntson says there’s no clear motive, and the victim and suspect don’t seem to know each other.
“At least with people that know each other, sometimes these things are predictable, or at least seem to make some kind of sense, especially to the outside world looking in,” Berntson said. “These just don’t.”
He says there’s not yet any evidence to suggest that the two incidents are connected to each other.
Note: Court documents are not included with this report because they include the names of victims and witnesses and require significant redaction.
