Former Democrat Mayor Sustains ‘Significant Injuries’ In Brazen Stabbing At Business

A former Democrat mayor in Massachusetts was seriously injured Monday evening after being stabbed outside the cannabis dispensary he owns.

Will Flanagan, 45, who served as the Democratic mayor of Fall River from 2010 to 2014, was attacked outside his business around 5 p.m., according to the Fall River Police Department. Officials said Flanagan sustained “significant injuries” and was taken to the hospital, where he remains in serious but stable condition.

Flanagan’s tenure as mayor ended after a 2014 recall election following accusations that he had shown a gun to political rival Jasiel Correia — who himself later became mayor and was later convicted on federal fraud charges.

Police quickly arrested 31-year-old Corree Gonzales in connection with the stabbing. Authorities described the attack as a “senseless act of violence,” and said officers responded swiftly to the scene.

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, a Democrat, said in a statement that he was praying for Flanagan and thanked local law enforcement for their fast action. “The full support of the Mayor’s Office is with the Fall River Police Department as they work tirelessly to bring justice in this case,” Coogan said.

Police Chief Kelly Furtado commended her officers for their immediate response, saying they are committed to ensuring justice for the victim.

Mayor Coogan also noted that the suspect, Gonzales, has a long history of arrests and mental health issues. “I’m not so much concerned about his criminal past, I’m concerned about his mental health and his ability to reintegrate into society,” Coogan said, according to WHDH.

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The disturbing attack comes in the wake of national outrage over the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light-rail train in August. (RELATED: North Carolina Governor Signs ‘Iryna’s Law’ Restricting Cashless Bail For Violent Offenders)

Zarutska’s death shocked the nation after surveillance video of the unprovoked attack went viral. The accused killer, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., has been charged with first-degree murder. Brown, a repeat offender, had been arrested over a dozen times and had served five years in prison before being released again in January on a misdemeanor charge, just months before the killing.