Man stabs himself in chest, dies

KINGMAN, Ariz. -- A distraught resident of the northwest Arizona community of Beaver Dam stabbed himself to death Monday in front of deputies who tried to help him, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.

Spokeswoman Trish Carter said deputies responded to a domestic violence call in the 700 block of Old Pioneer Road at 4:03 p.m.

Carter said a woman told dispatchers that her brother Alexander Stephens, 33, was busting up stuff in their home and was getting physical with her. She said Stephens took a large kitchen knife and plunged it into his chest as deputies entered the home.

"Stephens immediately pulled the knife out of his chest and threw it at the deputy as he ran out the back door," Carter said.

She said the deputy tased Stephens when he would not comply with subsequent commands.

Carter said the deputy administered first aid and arriving medical personnel transported Stephens to Mesa View Hospital in Mesquite, where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation continues and an autopsy is pending.

Sheriff's office records reveal that deputies responded to the same home on three other occasions in the previous 18 months, including an eerily similar incident in July 2008. Carter said that Stephens threatened to commit suicide with a kitchen knife but that a deputy was able to convince him to put the knife down without harming himself.

Carter said Stephens was not arrested when deputies investigated a report involving child pornography on his computer in August 2008. Stephens was arrested on domestic violence charges in another incident, in January 2009.