A deadly knife attack killed three Burmese boys - aged one, five and 12 in New Bern, North Carolina on Tuesday.

The victims' mother and sister were wounded in the attack.

Police have arrested the suspect, 18-year-old Eh Lar Doh Htoo, a family's neighbor.

Htoo, also a Burmese, faces charges of three counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.  His motive is still unknown, as language barrier is hampering investigations. 

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The incident was reported to New Bern police shortly before midnight Tuesday. 

The victims' house was located in a street with only about 10 homes and several dilapidated buildings. Authorities were asked to respond to a person wielding a knife in one of the houses there.

New Bern Police Chief Toussaint Summers Jr. said Htoo was caught still holding the weapon when the police arrived.  Two boys were already dead, the other died in the hospital.

Neighbors said the victims' mother jumped from the second floor window during the attack to seek help.  She knocked on one of the neighbors' door with wounds on her back.

About 1,900 Burmese refugees are living in the coastal town of New Bern after escaping persecution in their home country Myanmar.

The Interfaith Refugee Ministry processed all Burmese refugees when the first batch arrived the city in 1999.

Susan Hussan, the executive director of the ministry in New Bern, said both the families of the victims and suspects coordinated with her office when they resettled in the city. But she said she didn't know them personally.

"It's just really hard right now," Hussan said. "It's been really horrific."

A neighbor, Ner Wah, said people in the community have grown scared of Htoo.  Wah said he would knock on the door in the middle of the night.  "He's crazy.  I told my wife:  Be careful, don't answer the door."

Wah said he and Htoo both belong to Karen ethnic group, whose language had been banned in Myanmar

TagsNew Bern, North Carolina, Burmese, Myanmar