'Blood everywhere': Father screamed for help after 2 young boys killed at shelter, neighbors say
Sources say the mother, now in custody, tried to burn the apartment down with the stove and then turned the water on.
NEW YORK -- Police continue to investigate the fatal stabbing of two young boys in a New York City family shelter.
The incident happened in the Bronx on Saturday evening. The boys were found with multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso.
When police responded to an initial call at 7:30 p.m., they found the mother inside the apartment on the third floor acting erratic. Sources said the mother then tried to burn the apartment down with the stove, but later turned the water on.
Police then took the mother into custody. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
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Neighbors who live down the hall said the walls in the building are thin. They said they heard the parents of the two young boys arguing and screaming earlier in the night. They also heard the boys' father hysterically crying for help.
"He was screaming hysterically. He was screaming, 'help me.' And I came an opened my door and I seen him coming down the hall with the two boys in his arms. They were dead. They were dead. There was blood everywhere covered them," neighbor Shannon Holyfield said.
Less than an hour after the boys' mother was taken to the hospital, a second 911 call reported two unresponsive children at the same location. Officers returned to the apartment, where they found the 3-year-old and 11-month-old with stab wounds.
Officers and another family member attempted to resuscitate the boys, but they were unsuccessful. The boys were rushed in extremely critical condition to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where they later died.
"It's something that they are going to have to live with and think about probably for the rest of their lives. We have very experienced police officers. I think they are the best. They are able to handle and cope with any situation," NYPD Deputy Chief Louis De Ceglie said.
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