Suspect used racial slur before fatally stabbing Walmart employee, 18, in the back, police say

Officials in Illinois have identified a teenage Walmart employee fatally stabbed on duty over the weekend and, according to new information in the case, the killing appears to be a random act of violence and may have been racially motivated.

The Winnebago County Coroner's Office identified the 18-year-old victim as Jason Jenkins of Rockford, the Rockford Register Star, part of the USA TODAY Network reported.

Jenkins was stabbed in the back inside the Rockford store he worked at about 6 p.m. on Sunday, officials said. He was taken to a hospital where he later died, The Rockford Police Department reported.

Police identified Jenkins' alleged attacker as Timothy Delanostorm Carter, 28, of Cabery, an Illinois village in Ford and Kankakee counties, about 140 miles southeast of where the slaying took place.

Carter is charged with one count of first-degree murder and, on Tuesday, online records showed he remained jailed without bond.

An attorney of record was not listed for Carter online.

Police said Carter did not know the victim before the killing took place.

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'Giving all the African American people dirty looks'

Surveillance footage obtained from the store shows the suspect grab a kitchen knife and a hunting knife while walking through the store, according to a police probable-cause affidavit.

In the charging document, an officer described the video as showing Carter walking into the store "giving all the African American people dirty looks."

Jenkins, the victim, is Black. Carter's mugshot shows he is white.

"The video showed Timothy approach Jason from behind, with the knives concealed on him, and stab Jason one time in the lower back," the officer wrote.

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Affidavit: Racial slur used after the attack

After the attack, court papers show, a witness told police that Carter used a racial slur.

It was not immediately known if prosecutors are investigating the killing as a hate crime.

The USA TODAY Network has reached out to the Winnabego County District Attorney's Office, the agency that filed the first-degree murder charge against Carter on Monday.

Previous mental health treatment sought

Court papers also show Carter unsuccessfully sought mental health treatment at at least two medical facilities before the attack.

Carter was transported to one of the hospitals by its staff, the charging documents continue, but he was released without being treated.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund. Jeff Kolkey writes for the Rockford Register Star. Follow him on X @jeffkolkey.