A 6-year-old boy fatally stabbed his 2-year-old brother at their family’s home in Joliet, Ill. Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Officers from the Joliet Police Department were called just after 5 p.m. to a residence on the 2700 block of Fairway Drive for a report of a stabbing involving a child. When they arrived, they found a 2-year-old boy with multiple stab wounds, CBS News in Chicago reported.
The child was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Preliminary investigation indicates the young victim was “stabbed with a kitchen knife by his 6-year-old brother while in the family room of the residence,” authorities said.
The boy was discovered by his mother, who then called 911.
Investigators say she was home but in a different room at the time of the stabbing.
Police took the 6-year-old boy into protective custody and notified the state’s Department of Children and Family Services. He was taken to the Joliet Police Department accompanied by his family.
Custody of the boy was transferred to DCFS, which coordinated with county officials to transport the child to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.
“Everyone in this incident is a victim,” Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English told reporters Friday night. “We are always looking for the why. Those are answers we are hopeful that we are going to get but we may never get just because of some of the difficulties that surround the investigation.”
On Saturday, Police Chief Bill Evans expressed his sympathies to the boys’ family and thanked first responders for their “compassion and professionalism” when responding to “such a heart-wrenching incident.”
“Our community is reeling from this devastating incident as I am unable to come up with a sufficient statement that can adequately express the sorrow and pain we all feel following this heartbreaking event,” Evans said.
Joliet, a city of 150,000 people, is located approximately 35 miles southwest of Chicago.