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A physician and medical director from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh was killed in an overnight stabbing that also left his wife injured in his home in Edgewood Borough.
Dr. Idris Evans, 46, died after he and his wife were violently attacked while they slept in their home along Linden Avenue early Thursday, police said. A suspect has been taken into custody.
According to court paperwork, Evans’ wife told police that they awoke to a man attacking them in bed with a kitchen knife. She said he was wearing only underwear and uttered about “being God,” the report said.
At some point during the attack she yelled for their children, 8 and 12 years old, to get out of the house and go to a neighbor’s.
She told police that her husband called their attacker by the name “Elijah,” as if he knew him.
The Allegheny County Police Department said they were called to the scene around 12:30 a.m.
Responding officers found a man and woman suffering from stab wounds. Both individuals were taken to the hospital in critical condition, but Evans later died.
“It was a very violent scene,” said Allegheny County Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph. “The bedroom furniture was broken, mirrors broken. It was a very graphic scene.”
Suspect arrested in deadly double stabbing
A man was detained at the scene and in an afternoon update, police identified the man as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway. He has now been charged in Evans’ death.
Police said Hemingway got into the house through an open window, went to the third floor and started stabbing the couple as they slept. They tried to fight back, police said.
Investigators said that Hemingway was found behind a nearby home with cuts to his hand and he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. KDKA’s news crew at the scene witnessed Hemingway in handcuffs, being loaded into the back of an ambulance by first responders.
A motive is unknown.
“We do not know if there was any pre-existing relationship,” Joseph said. “The woman did not know this male. We are trying to determine if the two males knew each other.”
Hemingway is facing charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and trespassing. The alleged attack comes just a week before Hemingway was due back in court for a burglary in Pittsburgh earlier this year, court records show. He was released in that case on nonmonetary bond.
“Dr. Evans was a dedicated caregiver and valued member of our hospital and university communities,” a UPMC spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues during this difficult time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”
According to his profile with the University of Pittsburgh, Evans was the medical director of the Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team at UPMC Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Neighbor recounts deadly stabbing scene
Sandra Trappen lives in the home next door to where the stabbing took place and said she couldn’t believe the number of police that were surrounding her house, only to find out that the suspect was hiding in her backyard.
“He was hiding, there’s an area of my garden that’s not particularly well manicured like the other parts,” Trappen said. “He had found a way to conceal himself, but apparently he was injured and bleeding.”
Trappen called the incident “incredibly shocking.”
“Small and close-knit community”
Late Thursday morning, Edgewood police spoke out about what they called a tragic event in the community.
“We are a small and close-knit community and we are sure that many of you may be feeling shaken today,” police said. “You may be sad, angry, anxious, distracted, or just having a hard time making sense of what happened.”
Police asked that people be thoughtful about what they share in regard to the deadly incident, noting that things like rumors, graphic details, speculation and photographs can make an already difficult situation harder for those involved and others in the neighborhood.
