Bodycam Shows Va. Police Saving Boy after Horrific Stabbings

With a 1-year-old child at the scene, Virginia police stopped a 54-year-old man from stabbing his son-in-law, fatally shooting the suspect after he had killed his wife and daughter in a deadly incident last month.

The horrific scene unfolded when a Mantua man who was removing snow from his car called Fairfax County police just after 5 a.m. Feb. 23 when he heard a clamor coming from inside his apartment, the department stated in a news release that included body camera footage. When the man returned inside, he found his 1-year-old son crying and his wife bleeding at the front door after she had been stabbed by her father, identified as Chhatra Thapa, according to WUSA-TV.

The son-in-law told the news outlet that he confronted Thapa after moving his son to a bedroom. Thapa stabbed his son-in-law multiple time during a struggle.

"I still regret that I could not save my wife," the son-in-law told WUSA. "I tried my best. I still remember the last moment my wife was crying for help. I still can hear the sounds."

Officers soon arrived at the apartment and found a woman bleeding outside the unit, the department stated. Hearing the cries of the toddler inside, police entered the apartment to find Thapa kneeling over his son-in-law after stabbing him with a 10-inch curved dagger.

Thapa was ordered to drop the knife and surrender. In body camera footage, Thapa is seen about to stab his son-in-law again when officers opened fire, fatally shooting Thapa.

Following the shooting, one of the officers is seen picking up the child, who had been in front of Thapa at the time. The boy was uninjured and taken into protective custody before an appropriate family placement was arranged.

Thapa's wife and daughter were rushed to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The son-in-law was also taken to the hospital, and he was in critical condition.

Thapa, a native of Nepal, had no criminal record, and investigators are trying to determine a motive. According to the son-in-law, Thapa might have suffered from mental health issues.

"I wonder if our (officer) … stopped a quadruple murder from happening," Chief Kevin Davis said at a Thursday news conference.

"As bad as it was, it could have been a lot worse," he added.