July 4 stabbing victim Eric Hodges was just weeks away from his wedding when knifeman high on hallucinogenic drugs went on bloody spree, killing two people
The heartbroken loved ones of a man who was viciously stabbed to death at a Fourth of July street party have revealed he was just two months from marrying his longtime girlfriend.
Eric Hodges, 42, was stabbed in the heart and was one of five people knifed by suspected killer Logan Christopher Kelley, 26, who flew into a frenzy shortly before midnight.
Prosecutors said Kelley was drunk and high on hallucinogenic drugs when he stabbed Hodges and one other man, William Thomas Collins, 47, to death. The three other victims are expected to survive.
In a GoFundMe set up following Eric's death, a friend said he and his fiancée Jourdan were 'best friends connected at the hip', and were just weeks from their wedding after 17-years of dating.
Eric Hodges, 42, was killed on July Fourth in a horror stabbing spree, leaving his fiancée and partner of 17-years Jourdan (pictured together) heartbroken
Officials said it appears that Kelley randomly approached a group of people as they were watching fireworks from the street when the chaos erupted.
During the rampage, Eric was stabbed in the heart and Collins was stabbed in the lung and neck, with both men tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Kelley also allegedly stabbed two 35-year-old men as well one of the injured men’s 68-year-old father, and was only stopped when witnesses, including a 16-year-old boy, brought him down and detained him.
In the GoFundMe, Eric's friend Ajay Patel said the 42-year-old lost his life 'to the hands of a random act of violence that is inexcusable', and his death has left the community in shock.
'The world lost a wonderful young man, and heaven gained an angel,' Patel wrote.
'Eric Hodges was one of the most caring, genuine, intelligent, loyal human beings to grace us with his presence.
'Everyone that knew him, would describe him as the life of the party, and a shining light. Always animated with making people laugh- he was just a very happy person - ALL THE TIME.'
A victim from the random attack is taken away as law enforcement officers investigate the scene at the corner of 16th Street and Pecan Avenue in Huntington Beach
Officials said it does not appear Kelley had any connection to the victims, and law enforcement have not indicated any motive (the scene is pictured on July 5 - the day after the attack)
The knifeman's rampage only ended when heroic witnesses, including a 16-year-old boy, brought him down and restrained him
He said Eric's fiancée and girlfriend of 17-years Jourdan, along with his friends and family, will be 'dealing with a heart-wrenching moment in their lives' after witnessing the horror stabbing spree.
Law enforcement have not indicated any motive for the stabbings, which occurred on a street just a few blocks from the coastline where the city hosted its Fourth of July fireworks event.
Authorities said they do not believe Kelley had any connection to the victims.
When he was brought down, Kelley fought and struggled against the witnesses restraining him, leading to further charges of assault, spitting at a police officer, and using a racial slur while he was being arrested.
Kelley was charged under a provision known as 'special circumstance of multiple murders' - wherein if found guilty, he would be eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.
Witness Deeandre Adams was visiting friends for the 4th, at the site of the incident, when he said a man pulled up in a car, jumped out and started stabbing everybody
Kelley is facing a number of charges including murder and assault, and could be eligible for the death penalty or life without parole if convicted
Deeandre Adams was visiting friends for the 4th at the site of the attack, and was friends with the two men killed.
'It's sad. It was horrible,' he told LA Times.
He said a man pulled up in a car, jumped out and started stabbing everybody around him.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the incident in a news briefing, saying a 'day of celebrating America and all the freedoms we all enjoy turned into deadly chaos at the hands of a stranger.' 'We as Americans should be able to enjoy spending time with our friends and families without worrying about being brutally stabbed in the street in a random attack.'
