Virginia State Sen. Creigh Deeds’ condition was upgraded to “good” Wednesday afternoon after he suffered multiple stab wounds inflicted by his son in his Bath County home Tuesday morning.
First responders pronounced Deeds’ son Gus, 24, dead at the scene. Later examinations and an autopsy confirmed Gus’ injuries were due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound fired from a rifle. Investigators determined 55-year-old Deeds (D-Bath) and his son had previously engaged in a violent altercation outside the property.
After the incident, Deeds, the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor in 2009, fled the scene on foot to the nearby highway Route 42, where he was spotted by his cousin, who made the 911 call. Deeds was then transported to the University Medical Center, where he was admitted in critical condition.
Gus Deeds underwent an emergency mental health evaluation on Monday, but was released from Bath Community Hospital when he was told no psychiatric bed was available in a nearby facility, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Both the University Medical Center and Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg confirmed they had beds available Monday evening and that Gus Deeds could have been admitted had they received a request. The Western State Hospital in Staunton also had available space.
“We have 20 beds in our mental health unit, and we actually admitted several people on [Monday] evening,” Rockingham Memorial Hospital spokesperson Debra Thompson said. “Had we received a call … we would have been able to accommodate them. No one here spoke with anyone from [Deed’s hometown].”
Gus Deeds dropped out of the College of William & Mary last month, where he had been studying music on and off since 2007.
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