Deputies: Father stabbed son four times in self defense

TAMPA — A 37-year-old man is in critical condition this morning after being stabbed by his father Tuesday night, apparently in self-defense, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were called to 8907 Navajo Ave, near Morris Bridge Road, at about 10:30 p.m. There they said they found Edward James Astolfo, who had been stabbed three times in the abdomen and once in the chest, in the front doorway.

Deputies said he was stabbed by his dad, 67-year-old Salvatore Astolfo, when the two were arguing over the home's broken air conditioning.

J.D. Callaway, Sheriff's Office spokesman, said the elder Astolfo told police his son had lunged at him in a threatening way, prompting him to grab an Army knife and stab him. The son's girlfriend, whose name was not released, was also there.

The son was taken by ambulance to Tampa General Hospital.

No arrests have been made, deputies said, and the investigation continues.

Salvatore Astolfo has been arrested before in Hillsborough County, according to jail records.In 1998 he was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.

Edward Astolfo has been arrested in Hillsborough County twice before, charged with domestic violence battery in 1998 and possession of marijuana.