Shocking Family Tragedy Unfolds: Man’s Routine Snow Clearing Turns Into Nightmare Stabbing Incident

A tragic incident unfolded in Virginia when a grandfather violently attacked his family, stabbing his wife, daughter, and son-in-law with a 10-inch “curved dagger” before being fatally shot by a police officer, according to official reports.

The Fairfax County Police Department reported that 54-year-old Chhatra Thapa was responsible for the deaths of his wife, Binda Thapa, aged 52, and his daughter, Mamta Thapa, aged 33. In addition, he seriously injured his son-in-law, who remains in the hospital with “life-threatening conditions” as of Wednesday.

The ordeal began early Monday morning, around 5 a.m., when a man was outside his residence on Margate Manor’s 3900 block of Persimmon Drive in Mantua, Virginia, clearing snow off his vehicle. He heard a disturbance inside the apartment, where he lived with his wife, Mamta Thapa, their in-laws, and their 1-year-old child.

Upon hearing the commotion, the son-in-law dialed 911, as did a concerned neighbor. Afterward, he returned to the apartment to investigate, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis during a press briefing. Inside, he discovered his wife suffering from multiple stab wounds and his father-in-law wielding a 10-inch “curved dagger,” described as resembling a “meat cleaver.”

Police stated that the suspect was actively attacking his wife after already inflicting fatal injuries on his daughter. The grandfather then turned his weapon on his son-in-law.

Two Fairfax County police officers had been dispatched to the scene and arrived “within several minutes,” the law enforcement agency went on. As they entered the apartment, they say they saw Chhatra Thapa “literally in progress stabbing his son in law with that knife, with that curved, long-bladed dagger.”

The officer in front reportedly “gave repeated commands” to the suspect to drop the knife, but not only did he refuse, he “still proceeds to stab the son-in-law,” police said. The officer then shot Chhatra Thapa, killing him.

“To describe this scene as bloody is an understatement,” Davis said. “The damage and the chaos and the carnage that was perpetrated by this man in his 50s on his own family is unimaginable.”

“We don”t know yet what turmoil, what strife was happening in their lives, but I can’t imagine anything would compel any, any human being to butcher his own family like he did today,” the police chief added of Chhatra Thapa.

Throughout the “bloodbath,” as Davis described it, the 1-year-old child was physically unharmed. Detectives took him into protective custody, and with the help of child protective services, found “an appropriate family placement.”

Mamta Thapa, the daughter, and Binda Thapa, the mother, were brought to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead. The son-in-law was brought to an area hospital “in life-threatening condition and remains hospitalized,” police said on Wednesday.

The officer who shot and killed the suspect was a 2 1/2-year veteran assigned to the Mason Police District, the Fairfax County Police Department said. He was placed on a “restricted duty status pending the outcome of criminal and administrative investigations,” but Davis praised his work, as well as the two 911 callers.

“That young police officer who discharged his firearm, preliminarily, and I saw the body-worn camera and our executive command team saw the body-worn camera footage, did exactly what we expect him to do, and, quite frankly, exactly what our community expects him to do,” Davis said. “So his grace under pressure, his bravery, his effort to save lives may, in fact, have done that.”