Kaohsiung man arrested in stabbing of bedridden grandmother

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) A 19-year-old Kaohsiung man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Wednesday after stabbing his bedridden grandmother, apparently after becoming overwhelmed by the demands of caring for her, authorities said.

Police in Kaohsiung's Fengshan District said they received a call at 10:41 p.m. about a stabbing involving family members at a residence in the area.

Upon arriving at the home, police found an 84-year-old woman, surnamed Huang (黃), conscious but with a stab wound on the left side of her stomach.

Her 19-year-old grandson, surnamed Tseng (曾), who is suspected of stabbing Huang with a fruit knife after feeling overwhelmed by the "stress" of caring for her, was also found lying in the home's bathtub, police said.

According to local news reports, Tseng is believed to have turned the knife on himself after stabbing his grandmother. Both were taken to hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Tseng was subsequently released and placed in police custody, as prosecutors investigate him for attempted murder.

On Thursday, a Kaohsiung police representative told CNA that Tseng, his father and aunt shared duties caring for Huang.

Because his father worked the night shift, Tseng, a university student during the day, frequently had to care for his grandmother at night, the police official said.

In a statement to reporters, the Kaohsiung City Health Department said its records showed it had begun providing home care, other professional services, and assistive devices to Huang after she was hospitalized following a fall in August.

After Huang was hospitalized a second time, home care services were resumed on Sept. 8 and continued up until Wednesday, the department said, adding that it had listed Tseng's aunt as Huang's main caregiver and that the family had not previously had any reports of domestic violence.