Relatives of Troy Brutus, the city cleaner who was fatally stabbed on Monday evening, say his assailant had previously attacked him on several occasions.
However, according to the police, it was Brutus, 37, who was the aggressor on Monday evening, when they say he attacked the man at Garnett Street, Albouystown around 7.30pm and dealt him serval chops about the body.
At the time, Brutus was armed with a cutlass and a knife.
A police statement said the man managed to take the knife from Brutus and fatally stabbed him about his body.
His assailant was later that night admitted to the George-town Public Hospital (GPH) with injuries as a result of the altercation.
Brutus’ family members yesterday said that the dispute between the two men was over a woman.
According to a cousin of the deceased, who identified herself as Shelly, Brutus had shared a relationship with the woman but it ended recently and the woman had gotten involved with Brutus’ assailant a short time after.
However, the cousin said that much to her surprise, the woman was still entertaining Brutus. Further, she said her cousin even sought her permission to use the plot of land behind her house to build a house for himself and the woman. However, she refused.
She related that the suspect, who is known to her, had approached her about the ongoing dispute between himself and the now dead man. She stated that, as a result, she opted to talk to her cousin and asked him to resolve whatever problems he had peacefully.
However, Brutus claimed that he was being constantly sought out by the suspect, who tried to attack him on several occasions. “He (Brutus) tell me that he end up going through Albouystown some night and the boy attack he again. I say alright I gon’ talk to the boy,” she related.
But before she could have intervened any further, she got word of her cousin’s death.
The woman told this newspaper that while she was at home preparing food to sell on Monday evening she heard that Brutus was shot up the road. After hearing this, she said her mind immediately ran to the ongoing dispute and she rushed to the scene where she saw a crowd gathered around her cousin. She said she made attempts to flag down a car to take him to the hospital.
Likewise, the dead man’s sister, who did not want to be named, related that she rushed over to the scene after another cousin called and informed her of the attack. She noted that when she got there, she saw her brother bleeding profusely and immediately called a car to take him to the hospital. However, Brutus succumbed to the injuries and died before reaching the hospital.
According to the dead man’s cousin, Brutus was living with the woman at the centre of the dispute but after the two had a falling out he relocated to his aunt’s house at West La Penitence, where he remained up until his death.
Brutus, who would have celebrated his 38th birthday next month, is survived by his mother and older sister.
