80-year-old stabbed to death by son in Sanger, police say

SANGER, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man has been arrested after Sanger Police say he told them he killed his father.

An employee at a Fastrip gas station on Academy Avenue called 911 about a man who wasn't coming out of the restroom.

When officers arrived, they found 46-year-old Gilbert Canales with blood on his clothes.

"We found that he was covered in blood, he also had a knife in the restroom with him, he made this spontaneous statement that he just killed his father," said Sanger police chief, Greg Garner.

He then reportedly told police that he killed his father, 80-year-old Roel Canales.

That led police to a home on Diamond near DeWitt at about 3:30 am Wednesday.

Police found Roel with several stab wounds. He was declared dead at the scene.

Roel Canales, a father of six, lived in the northern California city of Hollister before moving to Sanger.

Some of his children were not ready to speak on camera but shared photos and say Roel recently went on his first cruise for his 80th birthday in January.

They also tell me he was a man of god and was heavily involved at his local church.

Neighbors telling Action News this type of violence is rare.

"It has never happened here, it's a quiet neighborhood, we've been living here for almost 6 years, and nothing happened like this."

Authorities found a weapon at both the gas station and the home.

Gilbert was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including murder.

This is Sanger's first homicide of the year.

Sanger police added there is no threat to the public.

They also say the motive for the attack, is still unknown.

"Random violence is not on the rise here in Sanger, and most of our violence is related to domestic situations, in-home crime, victims, who knew each other, and in this case, this was obviously a son of a father, it's not a random act as I mentioned, but it doesn't make it any less tragic," said Chief Garner.

A GoFundMe has been created by family members.

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