Father stabs son to death in San Jose, then killed by police after allegedly luring them to park

Man fatally stabs son, 9, then lures San Jose police to park in 'suicide by cop,' chief says

San Jose police shot and killed a man after he fatally stabbed his 9-year-old son. The suspect called 911, falsely stating someone else had killed the child and intended for officers to kill him, the chief says.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A father fatally stabbed his 9-year-old son at a San Jose park Sunday afternoon before being shot and killed by officers who responded to what turned out to be a misleading 911 call, police said.

San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph shared new details during a press conference Monday, describing the incident as one of the most disturbing homicide cases he’s experienced in his 33-year career.

Suspect lured police to park

What we know:

Joseph said the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Mateusz Dzierbun of Fremont, called 911 around 3:23 p.m. from Cataldi Park and reported that his son was being stabbed by an unknown assailant, which was a half-truth. When officers arrived, they discovered that the caller himself was the one who had committed the crime.

"These officers had no idea that the frantic person on the line was in fact the suspect himself," said Joseph. "A deranged man who had murdered his own son."

Joseph said the suspect even gave a description of the suspect — a description that matched himself.

Joseph said Dzierbun’s call for help was a calculated plan to get into a confrontation with police.

Full presser: Man stabbed son to death before killed by police in San Jose

Authorities said a man who was shot and killed by San Jose police had just stabbed his son to death.

"A twisted plan to force officers to shoot him, a final desperate and selfish act, suicide by cop," the chief said.

Officers arrived to find Dzierbun hunched over his bloodied son and armed with a large knife. Dzierbun was also covered in blood.

"The child suffered from injuries so severe that it's unimaginable they could have been inflicted by his own father," Joseph said.

Officers repeatedly asked suspect to drop weapon

Dig deeper:

Police pleaded with the suspect to drop the knife so they could render aid to the boy, but Dzierbun refused and made several statements indicating he wanted to be shot.

Joseph said his officers couldn't continue pleading with the suspect as they needed to reach the child to provide medical aid. Before officers could use less lethal force, Dzierbun stood up with the knife raised and charged at them. That forced officers to open fire.

Dzierbun died at a hospital.

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Officers then rushed to the child, but he was already deceased. A bandana was covering the boy’s face.

Joseph said when officers removed the bandana, the boy's injuries were so severe he couldn't even put them into words.

"Killed in the park by his father, who then lured the officers into a shooting," said Joseph.

The boy’s identity has not yet been released.

What's next:

Joseph said investigators have found no documented history of mental illness, no previous contact with San Jose police, and no reports of domestic violence or restraining orders involving Dzierbun.

Detectives are now working to trace his movements as Dzierbun moved around the country a bit. They're also trying to determine why the suspect chose that park and what drove him to carry out the killing.

"I don't ever remember a parent murdering their child so brutally. I don't remember a lot of homicides as violent and brutal as this one," said Joseph.