A UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh doctor was stabbed to death early Thursday and his wife critically injured when a man allegedly broke into their Edgewood, Pennsylvania, home and attacked them as they slept, according to Allegheny County police.
Dr. Idris Evans, 46, died from his injuries. His wife remained in critical but stable condition Thursday, police told Fox News Digital.
County 911 dispatchers received a report of a stabbing in the 100 block of Linden Avenue at 12:31 a.m. First responders found the couple suffering from multiple stab wounds. Evans was pronounced dead at an area hospital; his wife was also taken to a hospital.
Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway of Pittsburgh. Detectives said witness interviews established that Hemingway entered the home and attacked the couple while they slept.
According to court documents obtained by KDKA, Evans’ wife told investigators the pair woke to a man attacking them in bed with a kitchen knife. She said the attacker was wearing only underwear and spoke about “being God.”
During the attack, she yelled for the couple’s two children, ages 8 and 12, to flee the house and go to a neighbor’s home, KDKA reported. She also told investigators that Evans addressed the attacker by name, calling him “Elijah,” as though he recognized him.
“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.”
A K-9 unit from the Monroeville Police Department found Hemingway hiding behind a nearby home with cuts to his hand. He remained hospitalized Thursday pending transfer to the Allegheny County Jail.
Hemingway faces charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass. Police told Fox News Digital there were no updates to the charges as of Thursday. Investigators have not announced a motive, and whether the two men knew each other remains under investigation.
Evans served as medical director of the Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and as an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“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.”
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