WEST VALLEY CITY — A 16-year-old boy was stabbed around noon Friday in what police are saying may be a gang-related incident.

West Valley police responded to a call reporting a stabbing at 3831 W. Dean Drive at the Buena Vista Apartments at around 12:32 p.m. Police are still trying to figure out exactly what occurred prior to the stabbing.

West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt said that, at this point, they know that the boy walked into an apartment and said he'd been stabbed. Neighbors then called police.

Tyren Williams said his brother, Tyson Williams, had three stab wounds to the left side of the chest and abdomen and a slash across his face. Tyson Williams was taken to the Intermountain Health Center in Taylorsville in critical but stable condition.

"I got a call from my friend saying that my brother had been stabbed four times," Tyren Williams said. "I was worried at first. I didn't know anything, like where he'd been stabbed. It's all kinda crazy."

While Tyren Williams said he believes the incident is gang-related, he said his brother isn't involved with any gangs.

Barbara Ryan, a resident at the apartments, said she heard dogs barking and people screaming from her apartment. When she walked out to see what the commotion was, she saw Tyson Williams hobbling down the stairs saying he'd been stabbed.

As Ryan's mother called 911, she made Tyson Williams lie down while she applied pressure to his injuries and waited for paramedics to arrive.

"It brought back bad memories seeing him like that," Ryan said. "I just thought about the time my son was beat with a baseball bat. That was a long time ago."

Tyson Williams was described by neighbors as a well-spoken boy who was always willing to help older residents in the apartment complex take in groceries. He lives in the apartment above Ryan's with his grandmother.

Police are searching for suspects and have dogs out looking for tracks, but few details on possible suspects were available.

Elaine Simbolo, a resident in the complex, said she was unpacking picnic supplies when she saw four men walk into the courtyard screaming. Next, she saw neighbors attending to Tyson Williams.

"I know all these people, and it made me sick," Simbolo said. "My boy hangs out with Tyson. That's why all this really scared me."

E-mail: cnorlen@desnews.com