Police: Boy fatally stabs man attacking his mom at Fresno mobile home park

A 16-year-old boy stabbed a man to death in defense of his mother as the man was assaulting the woman Friday morning in a Fresno mobile home park, police say.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition after the incident, which began shortly before 9 a.m. at the Three Palms park tucked between Golden State Boulevard, Highway 99, Clinton Avenue and McKinley Avenue. He died a short time later.

Lt. Joe Gomez said the 46-year-old man was on probation and sought by police before Friday on charges of making terrorist threats. In 2014, he went to prison for assaulting the woman. He was released this summer and has been coming to the mobile home park in an effort to get back together with the woman. Gomez said that on Oct. 6, the man went to the home and threatened the woman and her son with a knife. He returned about midnight the same day. Police and the Adult Compliance probation team have been hunting him since.

Friday morning, the woman was eating breakfast with the door of her trailer open while her son washed dishes. The suspect rushed through the open door and jumped on the woman. Gomez said the son believed that the man was once again armed with a knife, and he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the man repeatedly. The man was rushed to Community Regional Medical Center.

Gomez said it is “very possible” that the boy’s actions were in self-defense. The man’s identity was withheld at the request of the department’s homicide team.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Police: Boy fatally stabs man attacking his mom at Fresno mobile home park."