Police are searching for a suspect after a stabbing incident on Milwaukee's East Side.
Around 10 p.m. Thursday, a suspect entered the back door of a home on Cass Street near Brady Street. Peirce Ferriter was downstairs at the time.
According to his parents, a struggle ensued.
"The man in the house was surprised by Peirce being there," said Peirce’s mother, Sue Ferriter. "He was there to probably rob and Peirce engaged in a battle with him. The man picked up a meat cleaver and my daughter said, luckily it was dull."
Peirce’s wife was upstairs and was unharmed due to his quick actions. Peirce, an Air Force veteran, was able to fend off the intruder who ran from the home out of the front door. He left a trail of blood along the way, including several bloody footprints.
"Our son was in the military a long time," Sue said. "He's very tough. He's resourceful."
Sue says her son received 51 stitches after the incident. He was released from the hospital Friday morning and declined an interview. The side and back of his head and neck showed visible signs of what he went through the night before.
"It's a rude way to start the day," said George Ferriter, Peirce's father. "Early, early morning phone calls are not often good news and so my wife answered the phone and almost immediately broke into tears."
George says his son and his daughter-in-law have lived in the home for a couple of years and have lived in the Milwaukee area for quite some time. So the incident, in a well traveled part of the city, was a shock to them.
"Milwaukee is a wonderful city and this is a very good neighborhood in most ways," George said. "So we were terribly surprised to hear of the incident and we're anxious to talk to our son and see how he's reacted."
Milwaukee police say they're looking for a black male in his 20s but don't have a better description than that at this time.
The family had several visitors during the day to check in on Peirce's well-being. For all that had happened, Sue knows this situation could have a had a much different outcome.
"I think we're fortunate," she said. "You have to look at how fortunate we are that he's out of the hospital and apparently doing well."
