Oklahoma Prosecutor Stabbed by Daughter Multiple Times in His Tulsa Home Calls for More Mental Health Funding

An Oklahoma prosecutor is now recovering at his home in Tulsa after his own daughter stabbed him multiple times. Police said Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler was stabbed by his 30-year-old daughter, Jennifer Kunzweiler, inside his home on Tuesday.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said Kunzweiler's daughter was arrested following the incident. Kunzweiler released a statement to reporters on Wednesday and called for more state funding for mental illness programs.

In a press conference, the 60-year-old district attorney said the day he was stabbed was one of his family's toughest days. According to the Associated Press, his statement lasted approximately nine minutes before leaving without taking any questions.

Oklahoma District Attorney Calls for More Help on Mental Health

Steve Kunzweiler, a Republican who reelection in 2018, is running unopposed for reelection in November. He was emotional during the press conference. He said he had seen mental health care in Oklahoma steadily get worse, and he is now using his experience as a call to action, according to KOTV.

He appeared alongside his wife and one of his three daughters and said: "Mental illness is a terrible thing. And many families... like ours have endured years of anxious-ridden concern for our affected loved ones."

He went on to say that the "Tulsa County Sheriff houses the largest population of mentally ill-affected people in the state." He felt this was simply wrong and that families dealing with this problem faced barriers to getting the care they needed "too many times."

He admitted that one of the biggest barriers was stigma and stressed the importance of normalizing the conversations around mental health to "ensure that we are able to link people to those resources."

He noted that these resources should also take funding and support from state leaders. Kunzweiler also implored the leaders to help and called them to action, saying "stop putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. Figure out how to resource this problem."

Oklahoma District Attorney's Daughter Inflicted Harm Upon Herself

Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg spoke to the press following Steve Kunzweiler's arrest. He noted that Kunzweiler got into an altercation with his daughter, leading to Jennifer Kunzweiler stabbing her father in the arm and midsection.

The police chief also revealed that Kunzweiler's daughter also stabbed herself, and she is currently receiving treatment inside a local hospital. He added that firefighters who responded to the incident had to wrestle with Jennifer in order to get her under control.

The police's family violence unit and the crime unit are now investigating the case, with the Tulsa police having complete jurisdiction. According to NBC News, Jennifer cut herself first as an act of self-harm, with her father trying to stop her.

And that led to the wounded district attorney decrying the state of Oklahoma's mental health care. He said: "Many families like ours have endured years of anxious-ridden concern for our affected loved ones. No one, no one wants to be mentally ill."

Jennifer Kunzweiler is still hospitalized but will likely face a charge of domestic violence with a dangerous weapon upon release.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: DA Steve Kunzweiler Calls For Better Mental Health Care After Stabbing Incident - From News on 6/ KOTV