Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp condemned the stabbing of a senior deputy district attorney at Courthouse Park, saying her office is focused on supporting the prosecutor as he receives medical care. (GV Wire Composite)
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A senior Fresno County prosecutor was hospitalized Thursday after being stabbed at Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno, prompting a public response from District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp as authorities investigate a possible motive.
Update: The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect Friday morning.
The stabbing was reported at 1:13 p.m., according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies assigned to the courts responded to the park to help the victim and search for the suspect.
Three minutes later, deputies took the suspect into custody near Fresno Street and Van Ness Avenue. Deputies used a Taser while making the arrest, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies also recovered a weapon from the suspect.
The victim was initially identified by authorities only as a male Fresno County employee. He was conscious, breathing, and talking when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, authorities originally reported.
Fresno County DA Identifies Victim, Gives Response
Smittcamp later identified the victim as a senior deputy district attorney and said he was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was receiving medical care and being evaluated.
“We are outraged and deeply saddened by the brazen stabbing of one of our Senior Deputy District Attorneys this afternoon in Courthouse Park,” Smittcamp said in a statement.
Smittcamp thanked the sheriff’s deputies who responded, apprehended the suspect, and assisted at the scene, as well as the medical personnel treating the prosecutor.
“There is no place in our community for violence against those who serve it,” Smittcamp said. “Our prosecutors come to work every day committed to pursuing justice, standing up for victims and protecting our community. They should be able to do their jobs without fear of violence.”
The District Attorney’s Office declined to release the prosecutor’s name out of respect for him and his family.
“Our thoughts are with him and his loved ones, and our entire office is standing together in support of them during this difficult time,” Smittcamp said.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium are investigating the stabbing and working to determine a motive, according to Smittcamp.
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