Des Moines police say an eight-year-old girl repeatedly stabbed her uncle in a tussle over a cigarette. Police say the girl and her mother were visiting the woman’s brother at his Des Moines apartment on Monday.
The man, identified as 21-year-old Noble Griffin, apparently took one of his sister’s cigarettes and smoked it — sparking a spat. The argument got heated and when Griffin tried to physically throw the woman out, she allegedly told the girl to grab a knife.
The girl did, police say, and stabbed Griffin at least three times in the back. Griffin’s injuries are said to be serious but not life-threatening. Police say the girl will not face charges, but the woman may.