A Stab in the Dark: Man Attacked in Parkland After Professing Christian Faith
In a sudden and brutal assault that has shocked a Washington community, 54-year-old Eddie Nitschke was stabbed multiple times early Sunday morning in a Parkland parking lot after answering a stranger’s pointed question about his religion. According to a Pierce County Sheriff’s Office report, the assailant approached Nitschke, who lives in his car with his girlfriend and two dogs, and pressed him on his beliefs. Nitschke initially replied, “I’m not religious,” but when the suspect insisted, he stated, “I guess Christian.” Moments later, the attacker produced two knives, stabbing Nitschke and, later, one of the dogs who was released to defend him. “My shirt was drenched with blood,” Nitschke told local media, describing the terrifying encounter that left him and his pet in serious condition.
The violence spiraled further when law enforcement located the armed suspect in a nearby backyard. “He came at the deputies,” said Lakewood Police Department’s Charles Porche, leading officers to open fire. In a stark twist of fate, the wounded suspect was transported to the same hospital as Nitschke and his dog, placed in an adjacent room where Nitschke heard the “Code Red” alert as the man was wheeled in. The suspect later died from his injuries. For Nitschke, the trauma was compounded by a harrowing medical diagnosis received during treatment: a collapsed lung, a brain blood clot, and previously undetected lung cancer. The attack, now under investigation as a potential hate crime, has left a man already facing profound hardship grappling with a violent confrontation over the simple declaration of his faith.
