(StraightNews.org) – Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies say a 5-year-old child stabbed his twin brother during a scuffle, and the child died later in hospital. Officers called the incident a “tragedy” and said the two boys were fighting “as siblings sometimes do.”
In a Facebook post, the Sheriff’s Office wrote that officers attended the scene at 200 Block of Tucker Road in Scotts Valley at around 4 pm on November 15. During a fight between the two brothers, one of them grabbed a knife from the kitchen table and stabbed the other. “Despite lifesaving efforts by our deputies, emergency personnel, and hospital staff, the 5-year-old passed away at the hospital,” the post continued.
The District Attorney’s Office said it would not pursue charges because California law states that criminal intent and age are crucial factors in determining whether to proceed, and there was no evidence of intent nor any proof of neglect or illegal activity by any other person. Officers said they would release no further information about the children or the family.
The tragedy occurred just months after a similar incident in which a 3-year-old boy shot and killed his younger sister near San Diego. In July, police were called to a residence in Fallbrook, about 50 miles north of the city, to find that the boy had somehow gotten hold of an “unsecured handgun” and shot his one-year-old sister in the head. She was later pronounced dead at Palomar Hospital.
California law requires that guns in homes be kept in storage that is not accessible to children – they must also be unloaded. If a child gets hold of a firearm, it is possible that parents or caregivers can be charged with a crime carrying a penalty of up to one year in prison. If a child obtains a weapon and uses it to harm or kill another person, the penalty can rise to three years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Copyright 2023, StraightNews.org
