Cabbie killed allegedly over passenger
On Wednesday afternoon, taxi operator Kemal Stewart drove past his home, waving to his spouse and their child promising that he would return later.
However, hours later, Stewart was fatally stabbed, by another cabbie following an alleged dispute over a passenger in Papine, St Andrew. According to Renae Hall, the mother of Stewart’s child, he was a dedicated father and shared a close bond with their daughter.
“I don’t know how me a go break it to her because of how close they were. She nuh stop call him name from morning and a ask how ‘Jermy’ [his nickname] no come home yet. He loved his daughter dearly and I know she loves him the same, so this one a go hard,” she said. “[Earlier] She say ‘Daddy hurry up and come back’. But that nah go happen again because them tek him weh from har.”
The Corporate Communications Unit reported that the incident took place about 5:45 p.m. During an argument, Stewart hit the other taxi operator with a piece of board and the cabbie used a knife to stab him. Stewart, of Clarke Street, Kintyre in Papine, was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital. According to Jason Bunting, who drove Stewart to hospital, he has not slept since the incident.
“A pon mi verandah me stay whole night a sit up and a replay everything weh gwan. Kemar is like me big brother, enuh, mi cyah believe say mi friend dead,” said Bunting. He said that when they got to hospital, Stewart was still breathing but couldn’t talk.
“You could see that he was in a lot of pain cause him did a grip him chest really hard. A lot of blood was spilling from his chest. This is the worst thing mi ever experienced,” the distraught Bunting added. Bunting, who said his back was turned to the incident, described how Stewart initially tried to run after being stabbed.
“Him come back to the car and lean up pon di vehicle and drop. Same time him tell mi fi go get the car. Everything happened so fast,” he said.
Commander of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, told THE WEEKEND STAR that the police have not yet made an arrest.
“We are still investigating the matter to ascertain the whereabouts of the perpetrator(s),” he said.