18-year-old man arrested for stabbing woman, 2 daughters in Shenandoah County
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The suspect arrested for allegedly stabbing a 27-year-old woman and two children under the age of five has been identified by the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office as 18-year-old Samual Jacob Homer, of Edinburg.
He is charged with three felony counts of aggravated malicious wounding and is due in court on Friday. He does not appear to have any previous criminal record.
The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office has chosen not to identify the victims in this case, but Sheriff Tim Carter says there was no domestic relationship between the suspect and the victim.
The woman did identify Homer as the man who attacked her, but may not be able to do so by name.
Here's Shenandoah County Sheriff Tim Carter's account of what exactly happened Thursday night in Edinburg Town Park:
The 27-year-old victim had brought her two children to the park. A little before 8 p.m., an assailant, who the victim ID'ed as Homer, approached the 5-year-old child and attacked her with a knife. At that point, the mother — who was carrying a one-year-old child, turned to the assailant to intervene, causing the attacker to turn his aggression toward her.
The five-year-old girl sustained non-life threatening wounds to the head, neck area, and upper extremities. The mother sustained multiple knife wounds to her upper body, and the one-year-old daughter sustained a knife wound to the head.
According to the sheriff, at one point during the attack, the suspect threw the knife away and the mother then put it in a trash bin. However, the suspect continued to assault her with kicks.
"The victim displayed incredible courage and presence of mind during this incident," Carter said.
It's not yet known who dialed 911 about the attack, but there were some witnesses who have been interviewed by the Sheriff's Office.
The mother is in stable condition at the ICU in Winchester, and her children were taken to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital.
Homer is currently being held without bond at RSW Regional Jail.
Investigation into the attack continues.
An interview with Shenandoah County Sheriff Tim Carter can be watched through Facebook Live below:
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A woman and two young children were rushed to the hospital on Thursday night after being stabbed, according to the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office.
Shenandoah County Sheriff Tim Carter said it does not appear the suspect or the victims knew each other. The suspect, only described as an 18-year-old man by deputies, was arrested.
The stabbings happened at Edinburg Town Park in Edinburg before 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night.
The woman, 27, was flown to Winchester Medical Center for her several lacerations and was in surgery on Thursday night, according to investigators. The two young victims, ages one and five, were rushed to the hospital, too. Both children are said to be in stable condition as of early Friday morning.
Stay with WHSV for updates on this developing story.