East Liverpool man in 'critical but stable' condition after stabbing in West Virginia on Christmas

A West Virignia man is in police custody after he allegedly stabbed an East Liverpool man in the stomach while he was visiting his home.

According to a post on the Chester Police Department's Facebook page, police were dispatched to a home on the 700 Block of Maxwell Avenue in Chester, West Virginia just after 8:30 p.m. Christmas Day in response to a call about a man being "stabbed in the belly."

Police say the home belongs to 53-year-old Kevin Fredrick (pictured below), who was being visited at the time by a longtime friend from East Liverpool. Police say the two were the only ones in the home at the time of the incident.

While police say it's unclear what caused the situation to escalate, Fredrick told police that his friend had assaulted him, so he stabbed him in the stomach. 

Police found Fredrick's friend lying on the floor in the home with a deep laceration in his abdominal area. He was taken to a hospital in East Liverpool where he was in critical condition, but stabilized enough to be flown to UPMC in Pittsburgh.

At this time, police describe the victim's condition as "critical, but stable."

Fredrick is currently in the WV Northern Regional Jail where he's charged with malicious wounding.