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MIDWAY, Wasatch County — Police say a father shot his adult son in self-defense after being stabbed multiple times at a cabin near Midway a week ago. Family members say the son was experiencing a mental health crisis.
On Wednesday, the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office confirmed Eric Daugaard, 53, was stabbed multiple times by his son, Warick Tremayne Daugaard, 25, on Aug. 7 at the Swiss Mountain Estates, a cabin area west of Midway near Swiss Alpine Road and Tanner Lane.
"Eric retrieved a firearm to defend himself, shooting and injuring Warick," the sheriff's office stated.
Despite being shot, investigators say "preliminary indications also suggest that Warick succumbed to a self-inflicted wound caused by an edged weapon."
The sheriff's office is waiting for the full report from the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office to confirm Warick Daugaard's cause of death.
Deputies pronounced the 25-year-old dead at the scene and the father was taken by medical helicopter to an area hospital in critical condition but later was said to be "stable."
In a GoFundMe campaign* organized by Warick's aunt, Aubreay Powers, she says her nephew "was overcome by the mental illness he had, schizophrenia," and stabbed his father several times in the neck.
"Eric tried to defend himself without using deadly force, but in the end, it was what he had to do to protect his wife, myself, and my husband. The loss of a child is beyond any pain a parent can bear. But the loss of a child in this way is beyond grief," she stated in the campaign. "It is my hope that you pray for my family and share in our grief so that we don't have to bear it alone."
1 dead, 1 critically injured in shooting-stabbing near Midway
One man was killed and another received critical injuries from a shooting and stabbing incident at a cabin just outside of Midway on Monday, according to the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office.Court records state Daugaard was arrested, charged and convicted for a similar incident of threatening a family member earlier this year. In that case, Daugaard's mental health was also brought into question.
On social media, Eric Daugaard thanked the many people who have reached out to his family for support.
"We can't express how important it has been to feel your love and concern for us, to be the recipient of your prayers, and to receive your generosity. I couldn't imagine having to endure this trial without that support," he stated. "We still have a long was to go before we will feel some semblance of normalcy again but you have all done so much to help us on our way."
A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday in Wallsburg, Wasatch County. The GoFundMe campaign* was create to help offset costs.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
