MEDFORD, Ore.– The violent attack Monday afternoon that sent three people to the hospital is still under investigation as to why the suspect would commit these acts against his fellow passengers.
While two of the victims have been released from the hospital, one remains in critical condition. On Tuesday, the suspect made his first court appearance at the Jackson County Circuit Court.
35-year-old North Carolina man Kevin Reed is being charged with assault in the 1st and 2nd degree after police say he stabbed three of his fellow passengers in a van. It happened on Highway 140 around 1:30 p.m. according to Oregon State Police.
When OSP arrived, troopers found three passengers in a white Dodge Caravan with stab wounds. Two of the victims, Antonie Kirby and Jemario Richardson, have since been released from the hospital.
The third, Marcus Taylor, received more life threatening injuries.
Alissa Taylor, Marcus’ younger sister, spoke with NBC5 News over the phone. She described when she got the call from the detectives.
“He said, ‘Your brother was stabbed,’ and I started crying,” she said. “I was like, ‘What do you mean?'”
Taylor says her brother and his friend Richardson took a road trip with five other guys to California from their home state of Winston Salem, North Carolina. She’s been in communication with Richardson since the attack.
“He said all he know is he woke up being stabbed and they all jumped up,” she said. “He did say my brother was moving and responsive then right after he stabbed him. But he said after that my brother stopped talking.”
She says she heard from the hospital that her brother was stabbed in the head.
“I said is he was dead or alive and [the doctor] said it’s critical right now, we can’t really say,” said Taylor. “All we can say is that he’s in surgery.”
Reed is in the Jackson County Jail with bail set at $300,000. Taylor is said to still be in critical condition and has been flown to Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland to receive help.
OSP haven’t returned calls seeking comment on the case but the investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have observed the Dodge Caravan with North Carolina plates or Reed, described as a black male adult, height 5’9”, weight 165 and wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and no shoes in the area of Highway 140 is encouraged to contact the Oregon State Police Southern Regional Dispatch Center at 541 776-6111 refer case number SP18-359029.
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