A teenage boy in Edgewood stabbed his own father to death Friday night, attempting to protect his uncle from an attack, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Mike Blair said the 17-year-old boy was with his teenage cousin and uncle at a residence in the 800 block of 109th Avenue Court East in Edgewood, when his father unexpectedly arrived shortly after 10 p.m. and began fighting with the uncle outside in the driveway.
“There were indicators that the father came to do harm to the family,” Blair said. “The son went out to protect his uncle and stabbed the attacker nine times, not knowing who it was.”
Blair said the father, 47, was taken to the trauma center at Tacoma General Hospital and died of his wounds at about 4 a.m. Saturday. He was identified late Saturday as Ralph Paputsakis.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies were alerted to the situation by a 911 call at 10:40 p.m. Friday, reporting an assault and stabbing.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they found two brothers in the driveway; the 46-year old uncle was suffering from head wounds and Paputsakis from stab wounds.
Blair said that, through witness interviews, investigators have determined that Paputsakis was estranged from his family and had unexpectedly arrived at the family residence.
When his younger brother went outside to see who was in the driveway, police said, Paputsakis attacked his brother, striking him in the head several times with a pipe.
The two teenage boys inside the residence heard the altercation in the driveway and rushed out to help. Paputsakis’s son took a knife, Blair said.
“It’s dark. There’s one porch light. No streetlights,” he said. The teen sees his uncle being beaten and he tries to defend him.
“Then it escalates,” Blair said. “The kid is fighting for his life.”
The uncle was taken to a hospital, Blair said. His condition is currently unknown.
Blair said deputies have made no arrests.
“We’re going to let the prosecutor review this,” Blair said. “At this point we don’t have probable cause. It appears that the boy was trying to protect his uncle.”
Rob Carson: 253-597-8693
rob.carson@thenewstribune.com
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