Idris Abdus-Salaam 1
Killer: Idris Abdus-Salaam [photo], a 33-year-old truck driver from Durham, North Carolina, stabbed four women, three of them fatally, at a truck stop in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tuesday. He was shot and killed by cops when he refused commands to drop his knife

 

The Sheriff’s Office in Knox County, Tennessee early Tuesday responded to a call at 7am at the truck stop to find a woman with stab wounds outside the store and a man armed with a knife in the parking lot, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
Responding officers found the male assailant who was still wielding the weapon had fatally stabbed three women and wounded a fourth at the Tennessee truck stop.
A deputy shot and killed the assailant after he refused deputies’ demands to drop his knife.
The victims include Pilot employees identified by TBI as Joyce Whaley, 57; Patricia Nibbe, 51, and Nettie Spencer, 41.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday afternoon identified the suspect in the stabbings at the Pilot Travel Center on Strawberry Plains Pike off Interstate 40 as 33-year-old Idris Abdus-Salaam, a truck driver from Durham, North Carolina.
Witnesses identified Abdus-Salaam as the suspect and confirmed that he refused deputies’ demands to drop the weapon.

Police activity at Pilot Travel Center, Tennessee 1
Authorities say a man later identified as Idris Abdus-Salaam arrived at the Pilot Travel Center [photo], on Strawberry Plains Pike off Interstate 40. on Tuesday morning and proceeded to stab three female workers and a customer , leaving three of the women dead
Police activity at Pilot Travel Center, Tennessee 2
Deputies and members of TBI secure and collect evidence at te crime scene on Tuesday afternoon – The three workers were pronounced dead at the scene from their injuries and the surviving victim, a customer was hospitalized
Nettie Spencer, [left], Joyce Whaley [center] and Denise Nibbe [right] 1Victims: Three workers at the truck stop, Nettie Spencer, [left], Joyce Whaley [center], and Denise Nibbe [right] were killed in the knife attack

As some point during the confrontation, a deputy opened fired, striking and killing the suspect, the statement said.
Authorities found in all four stabbing victims. Three were pronounced dead at the scene from their wounds and the fourth was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators were still working to determine a motive for the deadly attack, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Leslie Earhart said.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said the deputy who fired the shot was not hurt. Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam released a statement to the station WATE addressing the fatal incident at the travel center.
‘Today is a difficult day for the Pilot Company family,’ he stated. ‘We are devastated to confirm the loss of three team members and the injury of a guest after an act of violence at our Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, location this morning.
‘It is with heavy hearts that we extend our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of the victims. We are providing support and counseling to the families and our team. We are working closely with local authorities.’

Dead Idris Abdus-Salaam is being wheeled away by EMTs
The body of Idris Abdus-Salaam, the attacker, is being wheeled away from by first responders on Tuesday morning. A deputy shot dead Abdus-Salaam after he allegedly refused to drop the knife and surrender

According to social media posts, Patricia Nibbe, who went by her middle name, Denis, worked as a food division manager at Pilot.

She was a married mother of three and a grandmother. Denise and her husband would have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in June.
Joyce Whaley is survived by her husband, two daughters and grandsons, reported WBIR.
She was an active member member of The Crossing Church in Kodak, where Pastor Kermit McPeek described her as ‘one of the most caring people I’ve ever met.
The fourth victim has been released from the hospital, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed Wednesday.
Abdus-Salaam was arrested in Raleigh on April 13, 2018, court documents show. He was arrested near the Wade Avenue/Interstate-440 interchange and charged with felony eluding arrest with a motor vehicle CBS17 reports.
According to the report he worked as a correctional officer with the North Carolina Department of Safety, [DPS], from August 2014 to May 2019.
When he left the department, he was an officer at Central Prison in Raleigh, DPS said.