It’s not the kind of tragedy we hear about often, but this morning in Hopkins Village, a man fatally stabbed his young brother-in-law over a jacket. The incident happened sometime before eight. An eyewitness who was walking with the victim shared what he saw, while the victim’s sister recounted how the accused also tried to attack her when she rushed to help her brother. The situation escalated when the police arrived to detain the suspect. Friends of the deceased followed him to his yard, where he armed himself with a machete and chased after them, while the two police officers tried to regain control. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this shocking incident.
Marion Ali, Reporting
George Brown was just days away from celebrating his nineteenth birthday, but tragically, he didn’t make it. Early this morning, before eight, he got into a heated altercation with his brother-in-law, thirty-seven-year-old Steven Flores. Luke Castillo, George’s cousin, was walking with him and witnessed the entire incident.
Voice of: Luke Castillo, Eyewitness
“On our way to George house, we di come right out ya weh ih happen we di walk come down this lane and as we about fi reach the back lane, ih see the guy weh got ih jacket, ih bra-lee di come riding pahn wa bicycle, but ih look like fi he bra-lee done come with intention, you know. So when he see we, he just jump offa fi he bicycle and raise fi he bicycle and throw it after my cousin and hit ah eena ih face. And my cousin stagger back bout three feet, you know. And that da weh mek my cousin get vex and charge into ah and give ah bout two punch. You know, so them mi deh close, close in a fist fight di throw fist. I nuh see the moment when he haul out da knife and stab mi cousin and all. Nuh see the moment when he haul out da knife. When they done fight, all weh I see – my cousin run weh towards fi he house, but ih never did reach home. He collapse by one ah ih auntie house.”
Voice of: Luke Castillo
“He tell me he bra-lee got fi he jacket and he bra-lee nuh want give he ih jacket. Only that he tell we. From deh da convo stop. We just di chill and from deh we decide fi tek a walk by fi he house, the deceased, George house.”
The two cousins were on their way to Brown’s house for their usual morning coffee when they ran into the accused, who confronted Brown. Evril Kelly, the victim’s sister and the common-law wife of the accused, shared with News Five that in the eight years she has lived with Flores, he has struggled with anger management issues. However, she never imagined things would spiral so drastically out of control.
Evril Kelly, Sister of Deceased
“Weh he do to my bredda is unforgiveable, unbelievable, like, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe my bredda dead, like my lee bredda dead by the person who I live with. This is my brother’s special jacket. He loves this jacket. I beg ah fi lend me this jacket fi goh da work. I goh da work four o’clock in the morning. So I beg him fi the jacket because ih di rain lately, soh I beg ah. I had to beg ah because he nuh want lend me. I beg ah and ih tell mi “nuh mek he wear my jacket.” That’s what my brother told me and this morning it was drizzling. I was supposed to wear the jacket this morning, but I forgot the jacket at home. You know, he don’t want angry person to kill somebody, I neva expect that.”
But the violence didn’t stop there. Evril’s younger sister, Shanice Kelly, shared that when she heard what had happened, she rushed to help her brother. Shockingly, the accused then tried to stab her as well.
Shanice Kelly, Sister of Deceased
“When I got there my brother-in-law was still there with the knife in his hand like still angry, trying to attack me, my little sister, my cousin, you know, he was still not done.”
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I was made to understand from briefing is that this young man may have given a girl a jacket that belonged to him to use and he went out and he saw the jacket that he gave to the girl on another man and he went to retrieve the jacket from the other man and that resulted in a fight during which one of them was stabbed fatally. The police is looking at the matter now we’re treating as a murder at this time, unless there is some element of self-defense that he may raise, then the father then have to go to the DPP for directives.”
Luke Castillo is heartbroken that his friend was taken so senselessly right in front of him today. His family is devastated, knowing that instead of celebrating his birthday, they now have to plan his funeral.
Voice of: Luke Castillo
“Every morning da wa daily routine, every morning we wa link up to my house and drink coffee. If I had creamer this morning da mi house, that nuh mi wa happen, to God. Just the other day, me and he gone pahn wa fishing tour, day before (yesterday) we gone pahn wa fishing tour, me, he and mi other cousin, happily, you know. We never know this mi wa happen, you know. We come in, we sell wi fish. Mein this really sad, mein. I really brokenhearted right now, mein. I really down; I can’t believe it.
“We normally have dinner, bake, cook, have dinner as a family. That’s what we normally do. That’s what we were going to do next week, you understand, and then now instead of planning his birthday, we have to plan a funeral. (Sighs)”
Marion Ali for News Five.
