One dead and three injured in stabbing at Redding Motel; Suspect in custody

REDDING, Calif. – Police provided more details about the man arrested after a deadly mass stabbing attack in downtown Redding on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, around 10 a.m., the Redding Police Department said its dispatchers received multiple calls reporting a stabbing at the Market Street Manor Motel. According to the witnesses, several people were stabbed and the suspect fled the scene on foot.

When police arrived, they said they located four victims, three men and one woman, suffering from stab wounds. Three of the four victims were taken to a local hospital for their injuries.

According to police, the female victim ultimately died from her injuries. According to police, a male victim suffered serious injuries to his face and a second male victim suffered significant stab wounds to his upper body. Both male victims underwent emergency surgery at the hospital. A third male victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury that did not require hospitalization.

As a precautionary measure, officials shut down several nearby schools. After about 30 minutes of searching, the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Christopher Jordan Witcher, was found hiding in a nearby ditch and taken into custody without incident, according to police. Witcher was medically cleared at a different hospital than the one where the victims were transported and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department for questioning.

Police said Witcher had been staying at the Market Street Manor Motel, which serves as transitional housing, for the past two weeks and was involved in treatment programs for residents. During a morning meeting, Witcher, without any provocation, attacked two residents and two staff members with a large butcher knife.

RPD said Witcher previously lived in Redding and then returned in 2024 after being released from prison in Colorado for a previous stabbing.

Police said Witcher is being booked into the Shasta County Jail on one count of murder and three additional counts of attempted murder.

This case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the RPD Detective Division at (530) 225-4214.

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