Serial killer suspected in Flint-area knifings

FLINT, Mich. – Investigators say a knife-wielding serial killer has been attacking men on Flint-area streets since May, killing five people and wounding eight others in a vicious spate of violence that may be motivated by racial hatred.

Survivors have described their assailant as a muscular young white man, and all but one of the 13 victims was black, Flint police Lt. T.P. Johnson said.

The victims were all outside alone at night. Survivors have said the attacker approached them under the pretense of needing directions or help with a broken down vehicle.

“He then pulls a knife and attacks them without saying anything more,” Johnson said.

Detectives have been investigating the attacks since they started, but a pattern only became apparent on Tuesday, the day after 49-year-old Arnold Minor was found slain along a Flint street, Johnson said.

Mayor Dayne Walling on Friday urged residents to watch out for each other and to remain vigilant.