Philadelphia

Man Who Went on Stabbing Spree in Cobbs Creek Identified as Victims Remain Critical

Five people were injured in all with two children and an elderly neighbor seriously stabbed

Christopher Sowell was at home with his children when he suddenly snapped and went on a stabbing spree in Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek section Wednesday night, the city's police commissioner said Thursday.

The 32-year-old seriously hurt five people, including his kids, before being shot and killed by police.

His daughter, 12, told officers her father began choking her just before 7 p.m. Wednesday inside their home along the 6200 block of Hazel Avenue.

"All of a sudden his eyes were wide as could be. And then he just starts to choke her for no reason whatsoever," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC10.

Sowell then grabbed a switchblade knife and stabbed his 8-year-old son and the boy's 13-year-old friend multiple times in the neck and chest, police said.

The boys were rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where they remain in critical condition. Detectives are working piece together what led Sowell to carry out the stabbings and assaults. His daughter told police it appeared he was high on narcotics.

"He just was a bubbly little kid, and I'm just praying that he pulls through," one neighbor who did not give her name told NBC10 Thursday of Sowell's son.

Sowell then walked around the corner to the 700 block of Cobbs Creek Parkway and entered into a neighbor's home, where he asked for food.

Detectives said Sowell once again turned violent, grabbing a steak knife and cutting the throat of the 70-year-old woman who lives there.

He also punched a 41-year-old woman multiple times in the face while in the home.

The elderly woman was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where she remains in critical condition. The other woman was taken to Mercy Hospital in stable condition.

A swarm of officers surrounded the area after the initial call for help. They found Sowell on the street outside the woman's home. Nine officers opened fire on him after he pulled what they believed to be a handgun from his pocket, officials said.

Sowell was taken to Penn Presbyterian for treatment, but died from his injuries a short time later.

A gun was not found on or around the man's body, but a cell phone was. The knives police believe were used in the stabbings were found in the homes where the assaults took place, officials said.

Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs division is also investigating as is protocol when an officer discharges their weapon.

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