A third victim of the Apple River mass stabbing in Wisconsin has been identified.
AJ Martin, identified by his uncle in a GoFundMe campaign, was with friends on the popular tubing river in western Wisconsin when 52-year-old Nicolae Miu allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen amid a violent reaction during a confrontation with a group of tubers.
Four others were stabbed by Miu, including Isaac Schuman, a 17-year-old from Stillwater who died from his injuries.
Martin, from Elk River (his Facebook page says he lives in Zimmerman), suffered serious injuries and was in critical condition when he was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he underwent surgery before being moved to an intensive-care unit. His uncle says he’s undergone a second surgery and is scheduled for another operation later this week.
The fundraiser has generated more than $8,000. The money will be used to pay for the life flight, hospital bills, future medical care and therapy, and to help cover lost wages.
“Anything helps thank you all for the prayers. Hope to keep you guys all updated whenever I can,” Martin wrote in a Facebook post.
Miu has been charged with first-degree intentional murder and four counts of first-degree intentional attempted murder for the July 30 attack on the river that runs through Somerset in St. Croix County.
Twenty-four-year-old Rhyley Mattison, of Burnsville, was stabbed in the abdomen and was also taken to Regions Hospital. A GoFundMe for Mattison has raised more than $10,000.
Men ages 20 and 22, both unidentified and from Luck, Wisconsin, were also injured.
A GoFundMe for Schuman’s family is nearing $50,000.
