A 5-year-old stabbed and killed his twin brother in tragic sibling fight, sheriff’s office says

It was the kind of fight young siblings tend to have, sheriff officials said, until a 5-year-old grabbed a small kitchen knife Wednesday and stabbed his twin brother.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies, emergency personnel and hospital staff tried to save the young boy’s life, but officials said in a news release the 5-year-old twin died in the hospital.

Sheriff officials called the stabbing a tragic incident, and in the statement said the two twins were just fighting “as siblings sometimes do.”

Deputies were called to the home just before 4 p.m. at the 200 block of Tucker Road in unincorporated Scotts Valley, the statement said.

“We are heartbroken for the family of these two young children and share in their grief,” the statement read.

After consulting with the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office, sheriff officials said no charges will be filed in the case.

The decision was made after an investigation into the stabbing and “in light of all circumstances discovered by our investigators.”

Criminal intent, as well as knowledge of wrongfulness, are factors that must be determined in order to charge a minor with a crime, officials said. There was “no indication of negligence or criminal activity by any other party.”

Sheriff officials said no other information regarding the family would be released.