Alberta boy, 12, charged after allegedly stabbing his seven-year-old brother

A 12-year-old boy is facing an attempted murder charge after his younger brother—just 7 years old—was found stabbed multiple times.

Lethbridge police say a 12-year-old boy has been charged with the attempted murder of his seven-year-old brother.

Police responded to a north-end home at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 for reports a seven-year-old boy had been stabbed.

EMS took the victim to Chinook Regional Hospital in critical condition where he was then airlifted to Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital.

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The victim’s 12-year-old brother said an unknown male had entered the home and stabbed his brother before fleeing the scene.

Officers searched the property and seized a knife believed to be used in the attack.

Police said as the investigation progressed, evidence was gathered that led them to believe the 12-year-old committed the stabbing.

Police allege the boy stabbed his brother “repeatedly” and believed he had killed him, then “lied about an intruder entering the home.”

The boy, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault.

The victim remains in hospital in stable condition.

Staff Sgt. Ashlin Snowdon with the Lethbridge Police Service said the circumstances alleged are “incredibly rare and concerning.”

“Any time we do an investigation, it is incredibly important that we gather all of the facts,” Snowdon said.

“It is just as important to prove something didn’t happen as (it is to prove) it did, and to also have an open mind, so when we respond to any type of incident and we get a version of events or a story, we need to gather all of the evidence and establish truly what did happen.

“Our role is to be truth seekers and to find out all of the details the best that we can.”

Snowdon said an hour passed before the boys’ father returned home, found his son in serious medical distress and called 911.

Doug King, a criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said some police agencies tend to “overcharge with hopes of getting some sort of plea deal or something along those lines.”

“That kind of smells like this to me, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” King said.

King also said an attempted murder charge “is extraordinarily hard to prove.”