A Murray woman faces attempted murder and assault charges after two people were hurt inside a thrift store.

MURRAY, Ky. — A Murray woman is accused of chasing another shopper through a Goodwill store, stabbing her in the chest and striking an employee with a shovel during an April 21 attack, police said.

Madison Hinchey, 30, was charged with attempted murder, second-degree assault and fourth-degree assault after officers responded to the Goodwill on North 12th Street at about 1:36 p.m. Police said one victim had been stabbed and another had been assaulted with a shovel. The stabbing victim was flown by medical helicopter to a regional medical facility, while the employee’s condition was not released.

The case began as an ordinary afternoon call to a retail store and became a felony investigation within minutes. Murray police said officers were sent to the store for a reported stabbing and found store workers trying to hold Hinchey down when they arrived. Investigators said Hinchey had entered the store, pulled a large knife from her purse and chased a woman through the sales floor toward the loading dock area. Police said the attack continued there, where the woman was stabbed once in the chest and bitten.

Police have not released the name of the injured shopper or said whether she and Hinchey knew each other before the encounter. Officials also have not described a clear motive. After Hinchey was taken into custody, police said she made a statement that the victim “got what she came for.” The remark is now part of the public account of the case, but authorities have not said what they believe it meant or whether any earlier contact happened between the two women inside the store.

The employee who stepped in became the second reported victim. Police said the worker tried to de-escalate the confrontation, but Hinchey struck the employee with a metal snow shovel. Officers arrived soon after and found employees wrestling with Hinchey as they tried to stop the attack. That detail became one of the central parts of the police account because it placed store staff at the center of the immediate response before officers reached the scene.

The Goodwill is on North 12th Street, a busy commercial road in Murray, the Calloway County seat in western Kentucky. The store serves shoppers and donation customers, and the loading dock area described by police is typically used for back-of-store operations rather than public checkout. Police have not said how many customers or workers were inside at the time of the attack, whether surveillance video was recovered or whether the knife was purchased elsewhere or brought from home.

Emergency crews were part of a wider response. Local reports said the Murray-Calloway County Ambulance Service, the Murray Fire Department, AirEvac and the Calloway County Sheriff’s Department assisted at the scene. The most seriously injured victim was flown for treatment after sustaining the stab wound. Authorities have not released a final medical update, and the extent of either victim’s injuries remains unclear beyond the initial police description of the chest wound and shovel assault.

Hinchey was booked into the Calloway County Jail and held without bond, according to reports from police and court coverage. The attempted murder charge is tied to the alleged stabbing. The second-degree assault charge stems from the alleged use of a dangerous instrument and the biting allegation. The fourth-degree assault charge involves the employee who police said was struck with the shovel. Court records reported locally showed Hinchey was arraigned in Calloway District Court the day after the attack.

The charges are accusations, and Hinchey is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Prosecutors would have to show evidence that supports each count, including the alleged intent behind the stabbing and the injuries suffered by both victims. Defense filings, any mental health questions, witness statements and medical records could become important as the case moves beyond the first appearance stage. Police have not announced whether more charges are possible.

The police account left several facts unresolved. Authorities have not identified the stabbing victim, have not released the employee’s name and have not said what led to the confrontation. They also have not said whether Hinchey spoke with the victim before the chase or whether investigators found any link between them. Those gaps stand beside the known timeline: a 1:36 p.m. dispatch, two injured people, employees restraining a suspect and an arrest on three charges.

For shoppers and workers inside the store, the violence appears to have unfolded quickly. Police said the chase moved through the store and ended near the loading dock, far from the image of a routine thrift stop. The employee’s reported attempt to intervene became part of the reason the case involves two alleged victims, not one. Officials have not described any injuries to other customers or officers.

Hinchey remained in custody at the Calloway County Jail after the initial court appearance. The next major step is the continued court process in Calloway County, where prosecutors and defense counsel are expected to address evidence, bond and future hearing dates.

Author note: Last updated Thursday, May 21, 2026.