WABASH, Ind. (WANE) — A 10-year-old boy has died following a stabbing in Wabash Thursday morning.

Kayden Sendelbach was pronounced dead Saturday morning after being stabbed Thursday evening.

Around 7 a.m. on Thursday, police were called to a home at 294 E. Maple St. on a report of a domestic dispute.

State police said officers arrived and found a man 32-year-old William Sendelbach – outside with a gun. As police approached, Sendelbach fired a shotgun blast and struck arriving officer Nick Brubaker, a 23-year veteran of the city police force, in the leg.

Brubaker suffered non-life threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, police said.

Officers returned fire and hit Sendelbach several times. He was airlifted from the scene to a Fort Wayne hospital.

When police went inside the home, officers found 10-year-old Kayden with apparent stab wounds. He was taken to Riley Hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

“It’s a tragic situation,” Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Tony Slocum said. “It kind of boggles your mind why someone would allegedly stab a ten-year-old and then would want to shoot at police officers.”

While on scene WANE 15 learned of the acts of a 3-year-old boy who unknowingly helped the boy stabbed, his mother and his siblings.

The 3-year-old was in the neighboring duplex when he opened the door to the 10-year-old and his family, shutting the door before Sendelbach could get inside. The boy’s grandparents say they are thankful.

“I just can’t believe it,” the 3-year-old boy’s grandmother Rhonda Burns said. “It’s too hard to grasp right now.”

“He doesn’t even realize what happened,” the 3-year-old boy’s grandfather David Burns said. “He probably doesn’t even realize that he’s going to be seen as a sort of like a hero just for letting the neighbors in away from home. Makes me feel good that he did something like that but thank goodness it could have been bad.”

Sendelbach condition is still unknown at this time. He has not been charged at this time, according to a release from Indiana State Police.

The department said the investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time. Monday evening, the ISP announced that the stabbing has now turned into a murder investigation. An autopsy is pending.

Brubaker and a second officer, Dan Henderson, were placed on paid administrative leave until the preliminary investigation is complete due to Wabash City Police Department policy.

Once the state police investigation is completed, the information will be forwarded to the Wabash County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

WANE15 will update this story as more information becomes available.