| USA TODAY | - |
Virginia
state police are investigating a stabbing attack on a prominent state
senator as an attempted murder and suicide by his son, who died at the
scene, an official said Tuesday.
Virginia
state Senator and former gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds is in
critical condition Tuesday after being stabbed in his home. Deeds'
24-year-old son died from gunshot wounds. Police say they're not looking
for suspects. (Nov. 19) AP
Deeds ran unsuccessfully for attorney general and for governor. His son was released Monday after emergency mental health evaluation.
Creigh Deeds, 55, a Democrat and unsuccessful candidate for governor of Virginia in 2009, was reported in fair condition after being hospitalized with multiple stab wounds Tuesday.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said police were still investigating the "altercation" at Deeds' home west of Charlottesville. His son Gus, 24, was dead of a gunshot wound at the scene, she said.
"We're still piecing together the exact cicumstances that led to the altercation,'' Geller said at an afternoon news conference in Charlottesville.
"Based on the evidence we have now, we are looking at this as an attempted murder and suicide,'' she said.
Dennis Cropper, the executive Director of the Rockbridge County Community Services Board, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that on Monday, Gus Deeds had undergone a mental health evaluation performed under an emergency custody order.
Cropper told the paper that the younger Deeds was released from Bath County Community Hospital because no psychiatric beds were available across a wide area of western Virginia.
Geller declined to comment on the mental health aspects of the case, citing legal restrictions on disclosure of personal health matters and the investigation.
She said Deeds was stabbed numerous times in the head and torso but was alert and had given statements to authorities. She said police were not looking for other suspects.
Austin "Gus'' Deeds was valedictorian of his 2007 class at Bath County High School and had been a student at College of William & Mary since 2007, though not continuously, and had recently withdrawn as a student, the college said in a statement.
"He withdrew from the college last month and was not currently enrolled at the time of his death. Our hearts go out to the entire Deeds family,'' the school's statement said said.
Deeds, 55, was upgraded from critical to fair condition at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Geller said troopers responded to an early morning 911 call from Deeds' residence in Millsboro, where they found his son, alive but with a gunshot wound. He died at the scene, she said.
Gus Deeds suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, state Police Sgt. Mike King told the Roanoke Times.
Geller said troopers were still investigating but were not searching for any suspects.
The authorities said Deeds had left the home on foot after being stabbed and walked down the hill to Route 42, where he was spotted by his cousin, who was passing by.
They went to the cousin's house to call 911. Deeds was then taken to the hospital by helicopter from a nearby farm.
Deeds had four children with his first wife, whom he divorced in 2010. He remarried in 2012.
The longtime state legislator ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2005.
McDonnell issued a statement saying Virginians were united in prayer for the Deeds family "in this tough and sad time."
"The news from this morning is utterly heartbreaking," the governor said in his statement. "Creigh Deeds is an exceptional and committed public servant who has always done what he believes is best for Virginia and who gives his all to public service. He cares deeply about Virginia, and the people of Virginia care deeply for him."
McAuliffe, the governor-elect, tweeted: "Dorothy and I are praying for the Deeds family at this difficult time."
"Stunning news from Bath County," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a tweet. "I am praying for @CreighDeeds and his family at this very, very difficult time."
U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said in a tweet: "Praying for Creigh Deeds and his family."
Contributing: Catalina Camia, Donna Leinwand Leger and Michael Winter, USA TODAY
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