On Monday, September 19, 2022, authorities claimed that a Florida man, Edmund Clark, attempted to behead an acquaintance inside a convenience store by stabbing him 40 times with a pair of scissors.
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the stabbing occurred at the Trading Post at Burnt Store Marina, a family-owned restaurant and store in Punta Gorda.
What happened at the Florida store?
Based on the video footage released on Monday, 36-year-old caretaker Edmund Clarke arrived at the scene with the elderly man's son. As the violent assault progressed, Clarke suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors he saw inside the shop and lunged at the victim.
According to deputies, Clarke allegedly tried to behead the man while also grabbing other blades he found inside the store during the altercation.
According to deputies, the "brutal" attack took place without prior warning and lasted for several minutes. The man was stabbed more than 40 times in the head, neck, and chest and was later rushed to the local hospital, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno said:
“This disgusting crime will not be tolerated in Lee County. I am proud of the quick response of our deputies that helped save the victim’s life, and the hard work of my detectives to take Clarke off the street.”
As per WINK, the arrest record stated that the victim's father had been Clarke's caregiver for about ten years.
Reportedly, before the tragedy took place, the two met and Clarke asked to go to the store to get something to eat. According to Clarke's statement, he allegedly started having hallucinations and ranting about being attacked by an unidentified opponent.
Florida Crime Rates 2022
Florida is one of the states where people are most anxious about crime, but violent and property crime rates are lower than the national average. Considering that only 49% of Floridians say they feel safe in The Sunshine State, we hope that the low crime rates in Florida's 50 safest cities will increase that feeling of safety.
Violent crime in the state remained stable year over year at 3.8 incidents per 1,000 people, which is well below the national rate of 4.0 per 1,000. However, the Sunshine State outperformed the nation in terms of property crime, registering 17.7 incidents for every 1,000 people as opposed to 19.6 nationwide.
The reduced crime rates in Florida are inconsistent with the state's high levels of safety and crime. Although almost one in two survey participants expressed high fear about becoming a victim of property crime, the prevalence of this crime decreased by 17% from year to year.