St. Joseph County Metro Homicide is investigating after it says Edward Mwaura (pictured, right) stabbed his 6-year-old daughter to death early Sunday morning.
It happened just after 5 a.m. at 4252 S. Irish Hills Drive in South Bend’s Irish Hills apartment complex. This exact apartment unit is located across from the leasing office.
Metro Homicide says they were initially called to the scene for a domestic fight.
When officers arrived, they found an adult female in the parking lot covered in blood. She told police her 6-year-old daughter was inside apartment 1B with her husband.
Police entered the building and discovered large amounts of blood in the hall and on the walls.
6 year old Shirley Mundia who was stabbed to death by her father Edward Mwaura in South Bend Indiana
“Officers tried to call the suspect out by name several times to get him to come out of the apartment, at which point they heard a young girl screaming inside,” said Lt. Dave Wells, assistant commander of the Metro Homicide Unit. “Officers, fearing for the safety of that child and others who may have been in the apartment, they forced entry kicking in the door to apartment 1B.”
Police say Mwaura was on top of his 6-year-old daughter, stabbing her repeatedly.
To stop the attack, one of the officers fired at him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
She was taken to a waiting ambulance and transported to a hospital, where she was then pronounced dead.
“It makes it more difficult, especially when many of the officers have young children,” Wells said. “Any case we get down here is a tragedy and it’s difficult to deal with, but when you’re dealing with children who become victims of homicide, any kind of abuse, you have to stay focused.”
Wells says the 6-year-old’s mother suffered several lacerations and stab wounds, but is expected to survive.
He couldn’t say whether there’s a history of police calls to the residence where the homicide occurred.
The apartment building remains blocked off while four crime scene technicians continue to gather evidence.
Irish Hills resident Derek Ayres says he came home from an overnight shift and was shocked to see the crime scene.
“It’s kind of scary because I go to work at night and who knows what can happen to my girlfriend and child when I’m not home,” Ayres said.
All information has been forwarded to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office for review. Police say the family is originally from Africa and there was a slight language barrier they had to work through.- http://www.wndu.com
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