Longmont Man Stabs Mother & Father Before Committing Suicide

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - Longmont police are investigating a murder-suicide after responding to a stabbing in progress at a home in the 1400 block of Pratt Street Tuesday night.

The incident may be the result of a child custody dispute between family members. Neighbors say Omar Martinez, 24, lived at the home with his parents. Police, who haven't released any names, say the suspect stabbed and killed his 69-year-old father, and then stabbed and badly wounded his 58-year-old mother before stabbing himself to death.

Neighbors across the street called police around 10:50 p.m., reporting that a woman had been stabbed and was laying in the front yard.

Officers arrived on the scene and found a 58-year-old female in the street. She was transported by ambulance to the Longmont United Hospital where she is listed in critical condition.

Neighbors observed a man run back into the house at 1433 Pratt Street. Officers saw the suspect, a 34-year-old male, inside the house and SWAT officers were immediately called in.

Police had information that the suspect ran into the house with a propane tank, and officers did see flames in the home at one point, according to Cmdr. Jeff Satur.

Homes in the neighborhood were evacuated due to danger from the propane tank and other materials inside the house.

A SWAT robot entered the home and located the suspect, who was deceased from self-inflicted stab wounds.

His father, who had been stabbed, was rescued from the home around 1:30 a.m., but was pronounced dead in the ambulance.

"When they did a sweep of the home they found the father in an upstairs bedroom in the house. They brought him out of the house hoping to save him … they got him to the ambulance and he was pronounced at the ambulance," Satur said.

Names of the victims are being withheld by police until family members can be notified, but Satur said all three people are relatives and the conflict started with the removal of a 7-year old from the house on Tuesday. Someone apparently reported that Omar Martinez may have drugged his own son, but the claims were false.

"It was a conversation about, 'What do I need to do to get my kid back?' And it went downhill from there," Satur said.

Police said there is no longer a danger to the community. There is evidence Omar Martinez suffered from mental illness, drug use, and also tried to burn his parents' house down.

"There were some mental health concerns. They were concerned for the kid's welfare. The suspect in this case was actually going to school with the kid because he was concerned the mother would try to take the kid," Satur said.

Shocked by what happened, friends describe Omar Martinez as an outgoing man who loved his parents.

"Omar was a wonderful guy, you know, he was really good with everybody," friend Lupe Calderno said.

The boy has been placed with his mother.