Once Honored As A Devoted Father, Bronx Man Stabs Disabled Son On Heart With Screwdriver

A Bronx man has been charged with repeatedly stabbing his 6-year-old special needs son with a screwdriver, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Tuesday.

Tyree Scott, 29, has also been charged with assaulting an unnamed teen girl and keeping her hostage during an incident that happened on Feb. 2, Pix 11 News said in a report.

"The defendant allegedly punched a teen girl and stabbed his own defenseless son, who is quadriplegic," Clark said. "The defendant also allegedly refused to let the victim and child leave his apartment when police arrived."

According to the district attorney, Scott invited the 16-year-old girl, whom he had met on social media on Feb. 1, to his apartment to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. However, he refused to let her go home at night, taking her phone. When the girl tried to leave the next day, Scott stopped her and punched her in the head, the official said.

He gave the girl her phone back and asked her to call the police. When the police arrived, Scott allegedly barricaded himself inside with the teen and his son named Zahir. He then attacked the boy with the screwdriver, piercing his heart. However, police managed to barge into the apartment and arrested Scott.

The boy was taken to the Harlem Hospital. He was in critical condition and had to undergo surgery to have his heart repaired. He also received infusions. He is still in the hospital, according to Norwood News.

Scott has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, third-degree assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Scott has a criminal history, sources said as per the New York Post. In 2015, he was arrested for choking a girlfriend. He was also nabbed for assault in the same year. Then in 2014, he was charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

Ironically, Scott was featured in a 2019 New York Times article as a single father who devoted himself to the care of his quadriplegic son. The article narrated the struggles Scott had undergone to care for son, who has hypotonia and lacks the muscle tone to sit up on his own, while being homeless.

According to the article, Scott was forced to quit his job in 2016 due to the demands of caring for his disabled son. He and his son became homeless soon after but according to the feature, the father was trying to turn his life around by becoming a licensed security guard.

"That is the heart of the story to young fathers: Just be there for your kids," the article quoted Scott as saying. "Don't give up. It's not going to be hard forever if you stay focused."