NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) – An 18-year-old man attacked a Burmese family with a knife, stabbing to death three young brothers who were ages 1, 5 and 12, a police chief said Wednesday.
The boys’ mother and 14-year-old sister were also wounded in the attack Tuesday night, New Bern Police Chief Toussaint Summers Jr. said.
The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Eh Lar Doh Htoo, was arrested and charged. He lived near the family and knew them, but the chief didn’t know any more about their relationship.
Authorities weren’t sure of a motive and a language barrier is affecting the investigation. Htoo is also Burmese.
“The first officers who arrived on the scene observed the suspect with a knife,” the chief said. “They gave him commands and he complied with the commands.”