A Pittsburgh pediatric critical care physician was stabbed to death and his wife was critically injured early Thursday when a man allegedly entered their suburban home and attacked the couple as they slept, according to the Allegheny County Police Department.
Dr. Idris Evans, 46, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after first responders found him and his wife suffering from multiple stab wounds at their home on the 100 block of Linden Avenue in Edgewood, Pennsylvania. County 9-1-1 received a report of a stabbing at 12:31 a.m. His wife remained in critical but stable condition Thursday, police said.
Police identified 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway of Pittsburgh as the suspect. Detectives determined through witness interviews that Hemingway allegedly entered the home and attacked Evans and his wife while they were sleeping. A K-9 unit from the Monroeville Police Department searching the area found Hemingway behind a nearby home with cuts to his hand, according to county police. He remained hospitalized Thursday pending transfer to the Allegheny County Jail.
Hemingway faces charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, and criminal trespass. Police said there were no updates to the charges Thursday. Investigators have not announced a motive, and police said both a possible motive and whether Hemingway and Evans knew each other remained part of the ongoing investigation.
Evans' wife told investigators that they awoke to a man attacking them in bed with a kitchen knife, according to court documents obtained by KDKA. She said the attacker was wearing only underwear and uttered about «being God.» During the attack, she yelled for the couple's children, ages 8 and 12, to get out of the house and go to a neighbor's home. She also told investigators that Evans called the attacker «Elijah,» as though he knew him, according to the outlet.
«We do not know if there was any pre-existing relationship,» Allegheny County Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said, according to KDKA. «The woman did not know this male. We are trying to determine if the two males knew each other.»
Evans was medical director of the Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, according to his university profile.
«The UPMC and University of Pittsburgh community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Dr. Idris Evans, a pediatric critical care physician at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh,» a UPMC spokesperson said in a statement. «Dr. Evans was a dedicated caregiver and valued member of our hospital and university communities. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues during this difficult time. We ask that their privacy be respected.»
The attack has shocked the quiet Edgewood neighborhood and the broader Pittsburgh medical community, where Evans was known for his work transporting critically ill children. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have asked anyone with information to contact Allegheny County police.