The lawyer for the Nantucket stabbing suspect says the video shows a claim of self-defense
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A seafood delivery worker accused of stabbing a man near a busy Nantucket ferry says police video shows he was defending himself after being attacked from behind in the island’s downtown area, his attorney told Fox News Digital.
Kemar Downer, 40, who works at Sayle’s Seafood, appeared Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury.
“The video corroborates Kemar’s statements,” his attorney, Rob Moriarty, told Fox News Digital, describing the video as showing a “complete and total defense.”
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“The video was amazing for them,” Moriarty said defensively.
Kemar Downer, 40, who works at Sayle’s Seafood, appeared Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury. (Jason Graziadei / Nantucket Current)
Moriarty said the dispute was “over a girl,” The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
Moriarty said the video shows the alleged victim, whom a Reis Trucking employee described as older than Downer, come up behind his customer and hit him several times in the head.
“He surprised him, he hit him three times in the head,” Moriarty said. “Like he was going to knock him down on something. I don’t know exactly what it was. He was bent over at the time.”
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The attorney said the suspect then kicked Downer several times before the knife came out.
“And as he was kicking him, that’s when I think the knife came out,” Moriarty said.
Several passengers board the 11:55 high-speed ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket as it departs Hyannis Harbor in Hyannis, MA on March 18, 2020. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The stabbing happened Tuesday morning on South Beach Street, a downtown area near the Stearship Authority ferry terminal, where summer visitors flock to Nantucket with beach bags and luggage before heading out onto the island’s cobbled streets.
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Nantucket police previously said officers responded at 10:23 a.m. to South Beach Street between Broad Street and Oak Street for a stabbing. The victim was treated at the scene and taken to Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
Downer was released on $2,500 bail and ordered to stay away from the suspect, have no contact with him, wear a GPS tracking device and stay at least 25 yards from the victim’s home, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
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Moriarty also argued in court that Downer should not have been kept overnight because there are more chances that he will appear in court on Tuesday, the newspaper reported.
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“The Nantucket police have actually decided that they will not comply with the Constitution, because they think they are above it,” Moriarty said, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Evening light falls on boats as they dock in Nantucket, MA on Aug. 13, 2020. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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According to a police report cited by the company, Downer told investigators he was delivering juice to The Juice Bar, a popular ice cream shop on the island, when a Reis Trucking employee began hitting him in the head.
Downer allegedly told police he did not know the man, even though they were from the same place in Jamaica. He said he turned around, was kicked and pulled a knife from his waist, and swung it two or three times at the alleged victim, according to a report cited by the store.
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The witness also told police that Downer entered The Juice Bar looking for another knife in case the suspect returned, and grabbed a 10- to 12-inch kitchen knife before the staff took it away, reported The Inquirer and Mirror.
The suspect was said to have suffered what sources believe was a punctured lung and had a 2.5-inch open wound on his arm that may require surgery and leave a large scar, according to the source.
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The injured man ran toward “The Strip” on Broad Street, an area lined with restaurants and bars, before returning to his truck near the end of South Beach Street, where bystanders helped him, the report said.
Although Nantucket is home to beaches, a historic downtown and outdoor recreation area that attracts summer visitors, health officials say tick-borne diseases remain a problem. (Stock)
Downer was arrested near South Beach Street by Nantucket police Sgt. Travis Ray after being found sitting in a chair on the side of the road, reported The Inquirer and Mirror.
The daytime violence rocked Nantucket as the affluent coastal area enters its peak summer season, when its year-round population swells with tourists, day-trippers, occasional workers and wealthy homeowners.
