What happened before fatal stabbing suspect went to Rockford Walmart? New details emerge

Hours before a Rockford homicide suspect allegedly picked up a knife at the Northridge Drive Walmart and fatally stabbed an 18-year-old employee in the back, he was evaluated by UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital personnel for a mental health crisis.

Timothy Carter, 28, of Cabery, Illinois, had — at the request of Rosecrance Behavioral Health triage specialists —been taken by private ambulance to SwedishAmerican on March 24. The hospital operates the city's only psychiatric hospital since Mercyhealth eliminated its Rockton Avenue psychiatric beds in 2020.

SwedishAmerican officials say they have dedicated social workers and follow evidence-based evaluation protocols. They say that by law they are required to see any patient that comes into the hospital emergency room regardless of ability to pay.

But the law does not specify exactly what seeing a patient entails or for how long.

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A Rockford Fire Department email obtained by the Rockford Register Star under a Freedom of Information Act request shows Carter spent less than two hours at SwedishAmerican on March 24 before being released.

It is unknown how much of the 1 hour and 49 minutes Carter was there the day of the killing was spent in the SwedishAmerican emergency department waiting room and how much was spent with SwedishAmerican personnel receiving the evaluation Rosecrance Behaviorial Health staff requested.

A Rockford Fire Department ambulance at 12:30 a.m. on March 23 transported Carter to SwedishAmerican from the Auburn Street McDonald's with complaints of kidney pain, according to the email that refers to Carter as "person."

At 8:09 a.m. on March 23, Carter was discharged from SwedishAmerican and taken to Rosecrance. Transportation was arranged either through UW Health or the Rosecrance crisis counselor team, the email says.

Carter was then transported by private ambulance from Rosecrance back to SwedishAmerican at 11:45 a.m. the next day on March 24.

Carter was discharged from SwedishAmerican at 1:34 p.m., less than two hours later.

Authorities say that Jenkins — a bright young man described as a beloved brother, son, student and hard worker with a quick wit and sense of humor who loved the color orange — was stabbed once in the back shortly about 6 p.m. while working at Walmart, 3849 Northridge Drive.

Carter has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, punishable by 20 to 60 years in prison, and a hate crime, a Class 4 felony punishable by one to three years in prison.

Authorities accuse Carter of stabbing Jenkins with one of two knives he had retrieved from the shelves while walking through the store. Witnesses told police they heard Carter use a racial slur after the stabbing. Jenkins was taken to a local hospital where he died about two hours later.

Carter told police he had unsuccessfully sought mental health care at Rosecrance and SwedishAmerican before the stabbing.

Rosecrance issued a statement after the attack, explaining that while it could not address the specifics of Carter's case because of privacy laws, there are times when a patient is referred to a higher level of care when they "are assessed to be an acute risk to self or others."

Rosecrance also explained that it provides triage and intervention services in a calming environment at its Rosecrance Mulberry Center location which is unlocked and 100% voluntary. About 790 people were provided services at the location in 2023.

If a higher level of care is deemed necessary by triage personnel because a patient is believed to be a danger to himself or others, he could be referred to a psychiatric hospital with what is called a "Form 5," or a Petition for Involuntary Hospitalization.

This petition authorizes detention against someone's will and "typically outlines the reasons for detention, the duration of the detention period (which is usually limited), and the legal basis for the detention," Rosecrance said in the statement.

SwedishAmerican CEO Travis Andersen has said that UW Health also cannot address specifics of the case because of privacy laws. But he said under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the hospital provides appropriate screening and stabilizing treatment in accordance with nationally accepted evidence-based practices.

Patients being considered for admission into the 42-bed psychiatric ward are evaluated using a screening tool. Only those that meet criteria are admitted, he said.

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford suspect released from hospital hours before Walmart stabbing