Baby dies, mother in critical after stabbing attack near Sacramento

[August 08, 2014]  SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - A six-month old baby died and his mother was in critical condition after a family member stabbed them both on Thursday in a Sacramento suburb, police said.

The 20-year-old alleged assailant, the woman's nephew, was shot by police and also died, Folsom police spokesman Andrew Bates said.

"The first officer to arrive contacted a male in his early 20's who was covered in blood and advanced on the officer," Bates said. "The suspect had just stabbed his aunt and her 6-month old son."

The officer shot the man once, Bates said. The man, his aunt and the baby were all sent to hospitals, and the baby and the assailant were later pronounced dead, he said.

Their identities were not released on Thursday.

Bates said that investigator were looking into whether the assailant intended to commit "suicide by cop," Bates said, based on information from witnesses.

The baby's mother is in intensive care, in critical condition, at a local hospital, he said.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.