San Jose, California – A 48-year-old California father, Mateusz Dzierbun, has been accused of stabbing his 9-year-old son to death at a park in San Jose before charging at police with a knife. Officers fatally shot Dzierbun after he allegedly charged toward them with a weapon.
The Tragic Incident Unfolds
Around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dzierbun, from Fremont, called 911 claiming that someone had stabbed his child at Cataldi Park. Strangely, he even described the suspect — a description that matched himself. According to San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph, officers were unaware that the frantic person on the phone was actually the suspect, who had just murdered his own son.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Dzierbun crouched over his son’s body, holding a blood-covered kitchen knife. Despite repeated pleas to drop the weapon, Dzierbun refused and allegedly made several statements expressing a desire to be shot. The officers were confronted with an extremely dangerous situation when Dzierbun charged at them with the knife raised.
The Child’s Tragic Death
The 9-year-old boy was “clearly deceased” by the time police arrived, with injuries so severe that it was described as unimaginable that they could have been inflicted by his own father. Chief Joseph stated that in his 33 years of policing, he had never seen a parent commit such a brutal act against their own child.
A Desperate and Twisted Plan
Police say that Dzierbun’s 911 call was not a genuine cry for help, but rather a twisted plan to force officers to shoot him. His actions were seen as a desperate act of suicide by cop, where he allegedly hoped to provoke law enforcement into killing him.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan expressed his heartbreak over the incident, calling it “horrific and heartbreaking.” He said, “I cannot imagine how scared this child must have been when the person meant to be their protector became their attacker.”
Investigation Underway
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting, including reviewing body camera footage. Dzierbun had no known criminal record or documented mental health issues, leaving homicide detectives working to retrace his steps in the days leading up to the incident.
A Devastating and Unfathomable Crime
The tragic death of the child, followed by his father’s apparent suicide by cop, has left the community and law enforcement officers shaken. The brutality of the crime has raised questions about what could have driven Dzierbun to commit such an act, though his mental health remains a key aspect of the investigation.
