MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A man, accused of stabbing multiple people in Montgomery County in a series of unprovoked attacks, was shot and killed by police Saturday. Now, officials have identified him and the officer who shot him.
According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the stabbings started after the suspect attacked a woman at the Unique thrift store on Veirs Mill Road just after 10:30 a.m. The suspect ran away, later attacking two women who were sitting at a yard sale in the area.
The three women were taken to area hospitals for help, one in critical condition. In a press conference Saturday, Police Chief Darren Francke reported that hospital staff believe all three will survive. A fourth person, only identified as a man, was also injured but did not require hospital treatment.
The series of stabbings ended after Francke said the suspect confronted police near a wooded area and officers shot him. The suspect died from his injuries.
Two days later, the Office of the Maryland Attorney General identified the suspect as 19-year-old Franklin Castro Ordonez of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The Attorney General's office has also identified the officer who shot Ordonez as Officer Justin Lee, who has been with the department for one-and-a-half years and is assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau.
In a press conference a few hours after the attacks, Thomas Lester with the Maryland Attorney General's Office confirmed that the shooting was captured by body-worn cameras. That footage will be released within 14 days.
Silvestre Benitez says he was checking the oil in his car on Harvard Street when he saw the man run into the forest near his home. He tells WUSA9 that he assumed he would not be back, but moments later the man charged towards him with the knife in hand. Benitez says he pulled out a short stick from his car to defend himself.
"That man did not fear anything," Benitez said. "He charged towards police officer. With the little stick that I had, I wouldn't have been able to defend myself."
Benitez said that as soon as the cop car pulled up, the man got distracted and started charging towards police.