Son stabs US senator before shooting himself

The son of Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds stabbed his father multiple times before he committed suicide by shooting himself.

16:45 20 November 2013

Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds was stabbed multiple times by his own son, Gus, in his home before his attacker committed suicide by shooting himself in their house.

Despite his injuries, the politician managed to stagger from his home to a road where he was spotted by his cousin and was taken to a hospital after calling 911. According to reports, he sustained stab wounds on his head and chest. His condition has improved from critical to fair.

Virginia police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said that investigation is ongoing but it appeared to be an attempted murder and suicide. She added that investigators are yet to establish the motive for the attack.

"It's a very complex investigation," she said.

"We are still piecing together the exact circumstances that led up to the altercation and then followed afterwards, but based on the evidence we have right now we are looking into this as an attempted murder and suicide."

24-year-old Gus Deeds had reportedly been evaluated for a mental health issue on Monday. However, he was sent home from a psychiatric facility after the clinic wasn’t able to accommodate him due to unavailability of beds.