Fairfax County Police Release Bodycam Footage of Brutal Virginia Family Stabbing

Disclaimer: Details released by the police include extremely graphic scenes.

Virginia. Fairfax County Police have released the "body camera" video from a horrific stabbing incident that occurred on February 23 at the "Margate Manor Apartment" in Mantua, Virginia. In the incident, Chhatra Thapa, who had recently arrived in the US from Nepal, fatally stabbed his wife, Binda Thapa, and daughter, Mamata Thapa.

Chhatra Thapa, who was taking the lives of his family members, was fatally shot by police when they intervened while trying to stop him, dying at the scene. Police Chief Kevin Davis described the scene as "bloody."

• How Did the Incident Start?

According to the police, on the day of the incident, Chhatra's son-in-law, Santosh Basnet, and daughter, Mamata Thapa, were preparing to go to work in the morning. While Santosh was clearing snow from his car in the parking lot outside, he heard screaming and loud noises from inside the apartment and ran inside.

Upon entering through the balcony door, he found his one-year-old son crying alone and saw his wife, Mamata, running towards the door covered in blood. Mamata's last words were a scream: "He killed us, he killed us!"

Santosh witnessed the gruesome scene of his father-in-law, Chhatra Thapa, indiscriminately attacking his mother-in-law, Binda Thapa, with a sharp weapon resembling a 10-inch long meat cleaver. Immediately after, Chhatra began attacking son-in-law Santosh as well.

• Police Intervention and What the Video Shows

The police "body camera" footage released on Thursday captured the scene as a young police officer arrived. As the police descended the stairs, Mamata Thapa was seen outside, covered in blood. Although the police urged her to come to the stairs, she was unable to move.

Hearing the sound of a child crying inside, the police broke down the door and entered. There, Chhatra Thapa was seen pinning Santosh Basnet to the floor and stabbing him. When Chhatra did not stop attacking despite repeated commands from the police to "Drop the weapon," the police had to open fire.

After being shot multiple times, Chhatra collapsed. Immediately afterward, the police rescued the crying one-year-old boy and took him to a safe location.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis praised the bravery of the officer, stating, "If that officer had not taken timely, courageous, and disciplined action, we would have had two more bodies today."

• Motive for the Killing Remains Unknown

Police stated that Chhatra Thapa had no prior criminal background, and no complaints had ever been filed with the police from that apartment before. According to Police Chief Davis, it is understood that Chhatra had been suffering from "mental health issues" for some time, but why he took such a drastic step remains a mystery.

Injured Santosh Basnet said in an interview, "I still regret that I could not save my wife. The sound of her calling for help still echoes in my ears."

Santosh resisted his father-in-law only after locking his son in a room to keep him safe.

• Grief in the Nepali Community

This heartbreaking incident has devastated Nepalis living in America. The funerals for Binda and Mamata Thapa were held last Tuesday, where a large number of people from the Nepali community attended to pay their respects.

Santosh Basnet is currently in a rehabilitation center after receiving hospital treatment. After recovering, he plans to move to California to live with his sister, where his son is currently being cared for.

The police officer who fired the shots has been placed on "restricted duty," which is a standard administrative procedure following such incidents.

Preliminary investigations suggest the police action was lawful and taken to save lives.