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Truck driver named as suspect who fatally stabbed three truck stop workers

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Authorities have released the identities of the people involved in a grisly fatal attack at a Knoxville truck stop on Tuesday morning.

The attack occurred just before 7 a.m. at the Pilot Travel Center off of I-40 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says that 33 year old Durham, North Carolina-based truck driver Idris Abdus-Salaam stabbed four women at the truck stop location before he was shot by a Knox County Deputy after he refused to drop his knife.

Abdus-Salaam was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three of the women who were stabbed have passed away. All three were Pilot employees. They have been identified as as 57 year old Joyce Whaley, 51 year old Patricia Denise Nibbe, and 41 year old Nettie R. Spencer. The fourth woman who was stabbed was a customer and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam released a statement on the incident:

Today is a difficult day for the Pilot Company family. We are devastated to confirm the loss of three team members and the injury of a guest after an act of violence at our Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, location this morning. It is with heavy hearts that we extend our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of the victims. We are providing support and counseling to the families and our team. We are working closely with local authorities. Please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.

The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officer-involved shooting.

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