Skip to main content
Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

This story is free to read.

‘Wrong place, wrong time’: Chattanooga family recounts horror of knife attack

photo Allison Meadows talks about the attack during an interview at her home. She is recovering from surgery for her wounds.

Glen Meadows was sitting with his 3-year-old nephew Cooper in a rehabilitation facility in Pittsburgh on Monday night while his daughter, wife and Cooper’s mom went shopping at Target.

He was hungry, and he couldn’t figure out why no one was answering his texts about dinner plans. So when Cooper’s mom, Chelsey Stokes, finally called, he picked up nonchalantly.

“What’s up, Chelsey?” he said.

“You’re going to need to meet me at Children’s Hospital,” she said. “You know where Cooper had his surgery? You need to meet me there.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.