A five-year-old boy was stabbed to death by his twin brother during a fight between the pair in California
A five-year-old
boy was stabbed to death by his twin brother during a fight between the pair in
California earlier this week, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced
via a social media post.
The incident took
place Wednesday just before 4 p.m. at the family home on Tucker Road in rural
Scotts Valley where one of the boys grabbed a small kitchen knife and stabbed
his twin sibling, police said. Scotts Valley is about six miles north of the
city of Santa Cruz.
"Tragically,
during the incident, one of the 5-year-old's got a small kitchen knife and
stabbed his twin brother," the post reads.
A five-year-old
boy was stabbed to death by his twin brother during a fight between the pair in
California earlier this week, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced
via a social media post. (Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office/Facebook)
Deputies were
called to the scene and the victim was rushed to hospital where he later
succumbed to his injuries.
"We are
heartbroken for the family of these two young children and share in their
grief," the post continues.
The Sheriff's
Office said that based on its current investigation, the child was unaware of
the wrongfulness of his actions and so no charges will be filed against the boy
or anyone involved.
The Sheriff's
Office cited Penal Code 26 which presumes that youth under the age of 14 are
not capable of committing a crime unless "at the time of committing the
act charged against them, they knew its wrongfulness."
Furthermore, since
2019, the state is no longer permitted to process children under 12 through the
juvenile justice system.
Investigators said
that there was also no indication of negligence or criminal activity by any
other party.
Steven Clark, a
former prosecutor, said the speed at which the sheriff’s office announced no
charges were being brought, suggests the children were being properly
supervised and in no inherent danger.
"[It]
suggests that this family was acting appropriately, that this was just a
one-off, horrible, tragic event," Clark told ABC 7.
Ashley Keehn, the
public information officer for the Sheriff's Office, reiterated that the
incident was a tragic situation and no negligence was involved.
The badge of the
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced
the death on Facebook Thursday.
"Through
investigation and witness interviews, there was no negligence," Keehn told
ABC 7. This ended up being just being a very tragic, horrific situation."
The Santa Cruz
County Sheriff's Office said it was not releasing any more information
pertaining to the case and asked for the public to respect the family's
privacy.
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