Man, 25, Killed in Stabbing Outside Merced Apartment Complex After Family Dispute
Merced police say a woman, 25, who was also wounded is believed to have stabbed the man, and detectives are weighing self-defense as no arrest has been made.
By Xiaoyu Wang ·
A 25-year-old man died after a stabbing outside an apartment complex in Merced on Thursday, and police say they are still working to establish whether the incident involved self-defense.
Officers were sent shortly after 4 p.m. to the area of West 19th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, according to Sgt. Christian Lupian of the Merced Police Department. Police said the violence grew out of a family dispute.
"We believe that there were several people involved in this altercation that happened," Lupian said.
Investigators believe a 25-year-old woman stabbed the man during the confrontation. He died at the scene. The woman, who also suffered stab wounds, was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Lupian said detectives are looking at every possibility, self-defense among them, and that no arrest has been made. He said everyone connected to the incident is cooperating with investigators.
Residents and others at the complex said they were shaken by what happened. Anthony, who was working on the property, said he had seen the man earlier in the day. "I didn't personally know him. I just seen him and it was one of those things where you wave and always has a smile when I waved at him," he said. Anthony said he later told his roommate about the death, and that it "put things in perspective and it was heartbreaking."
Socoro Flores, who said she often walks her dog in the neighborhood, said she heard the family argument had turned violent. "It was very heartbreaking to see a family break up like that," she said, adding that she teared up when she saw the man's body being removed, and that she went home and prayed for the family.
Authorities have not released the name of the man who died. Police said the case is the eighth homicide in Merced this year.
Anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who knows someone who is, can get help around the clock. In Fresno County, the Marjaree Mason Center can be reached at (559) 233-4357. Elsewhere, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at (800) 799-7233.
Source: ABC30 Action News