(JAMAICA STAR) – An alleged dispute over empty bottles on Tuesday cost the life of Dennis Brown Sr, who was stabbed to death by his 24-year-old son Dennis Brown Jr.
Brown Jr has since turned himself in to the police.
The incident, which happened about 7 p.m., has sent shock waves through Oddman Lane in St Andrew, where the senior Brown lived with two of his children, including Brown Jr.
An alleged eyewitness said that although there have been several disputes between father and son, this outcome was unexpected.
“A few months ago, they had argued over another set of bottles that Jr had stolen and a machete was even drawn. I had to call the police. I never knew things would have ended this way,” the person said.
The eyewitness said that Brown Sr, who was a tile installer, had been saving used bottles to sell if and when he fell on hard times.
“Because of COVID-19, persons are not allowing anyone in their homes right now so he would save them to sell at a later date. But his son came and took out a portion of them so that’s where everything stemmed from,” the person said.
STABBED IN THE CHEST
It was the eyewitness’ relative who alerted others that the Browns were fighting again.
“I got up when I saw Dennis’ younger son running and telling them to ‘easy and done’. I was entering in their house so I could hold one of them while the other son hold the other when I saw Jr pull a knife,” said the individual.
Brown then ran out of the house, but his son chased him and stabbed him in the chest.
“He then began to chase his little brother with the knife. I took up the phone to call the police, then I heard someone say Dennis got stabbed in the heart. I then helped to put him in the car and took him to the hospital,” the person said.
Brown was said to have been conscious for part of the journey and was even speaking to his younger son, but became quiet minutes before reaching hospital.
“I heard his son saying ‘Daddy, Daddy’, but he wasn’t answering. His son then told me that he was getting stiff and by the time we reached the emergency section, he was spitting up. The medical team tried to save his life but they couldn’t,” the person said.
The eyewitness described Brown Jr as a quiet young man.
“He smoke weed a lot but his father had taken him to do an evaluation up by UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) already but they found nothing wrong with him. Him hardly talk and nuh guh on the road,” the person said.
The St Andrew North police have launched a probe into the incident.
