Man Fatally Stabs 16-Month-Old Son, Gets Shot By Neighbor

A 16-month-old boy was fatally stabbed by his father Sunday afternoon at a Lewisville apartment complex in Texas. The suspect was shot in the leg by a neighbor who attempted to stop the attack, police said.

According to Captain Jesse Hunter of the Lewisville Police Department, the witness saw a man "beating and stabbing a small child” around 12:40 p.m. local time (1:40 p.m. EDT). The unidentified witness then grabbed a gun, and shot the suspect "effectively ending the assault on the child," he said.

The police added the incident took place when the child’s mother was at work. The toddler, who is believed to be the suspect's son, sustained multiple severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Star Telegram reported.

The suspect too was taken to the same hospital and treated for the gunshot wound, after which he was placed in custody. The neighbor, who shot the suspect is not facing criminal charges, police said, ABC-affiliated television station WFAA reported. The names of the suspect and the child were not revealed.

Officials also interviewed several witnesses who said they saw a man beating and stabbing a small child. An unidentified witness also revealed the suspect was yelling "Jesus is coming” while stabbing the boy.

Mary Phillips, another witness, said she was walking her dog near the complex when she heard the gun shots, and added, "Some of my neighbors told me to get down."

She said she did not know the family personally but had seen them a few times, Dallas News reported.

Various residents of the complex reacted to the attack, with one person saying the area was generally “safe.”

The suspect’s neighbor, Ciera Mills, said she learnt about the attack only when she reached home from work. She revealed she had met the suspect a few times and he looked pretty normal.

"For this to happen is unbelievable,” she said.

Another resident of the complex said, “Everyone gets along with everyone… unbelievable. At a loss of words right now. It’s pretty safe here, first time something happened like this.”

Resident Trista Bishop said, “Scary to hear something like that happened so close to home. It gives me goosebumps and chills just because it’s awful,” CBS reported.

Police confirmed no reports were made till date to the Child Protective Services regarding the family.

In a similar incident in June, a man was charged with fatally stabbing his 5-year-old son during a domestic dispute at Carlingford, Sydney. The child's grandmother took him to safety in a nearby street and called the police. The boy was rushed to the Children's Hospital at Westmead with serious injuries, where he was pronounced dead.

The grandmother was not physically injured but was treated for shock.

"She's behaved in a heroic and caring manner, as you would imagine a grandmother would,” Superintendent Rob Critchlow said, while adding, "She's been presented with something terrible, and done her best to get the young boy to safety and to get him treatment.”