A seafood delivery worker charged in a stabbing near Nantucket’s crowded ferry docks says police footage backs up his claim that he was defending himself after being struck from behind in the island’s downtown district, his lawyer told News Agency.
Kemar Downer, 40, who works for Sayle’s Seafood, appeared for arraignment Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
“The video corroborates Kemar’s statements,” defense attorney Rob Moriarty told News Agency, saying the recording depicts what he called “complete and total self-defense.”
“The video was amazing for them,” Moriarty said, referring to the defense team.
Kemar Downer, 40, a Sayle’s Seafood employee, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. (Jason Graziadei / Nantucket Current)
Moriarty said the dispute stemmed from a situation “over a girl,” according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
According to Moriarty, the footage shows the alleged victim, a Reis Trucking employee whom he characterized as bigger than Downer, approaching from behind and hitting his client repeatedly in the back of the head.
“He surprised him, punches him like three times in the back of the head,” Moriarty said. “Kind of knocks him into something. I can’t tell exactly what it was. He was leaning over at the time.”
The attorney said the man then kicked Downer multiple times before the knife came out.
“And then as he’s kicking him, that’s when I think the knife comes out,” Moriarty said.
A few passengers ride the 11:55 high speed ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket as it leaves Hyannis Harbor in Hyannis, MA on March 18, 2020. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The stabbing erupted Tuesday morning on South Beach Street, a downtown stretch near the Steamship Authority ferry terminal, where summer visitors pour onto Nantucket with beach bags and luggage before fanning out toward the island’s cobblestoned streets.
Nantucket police previously said officers responded at 10:23 a.m. to South Beach Street between Broad Street and Oak Street for a reported stabbing. The injured person was treated at the scene and rushed to Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
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Downer was released on $2,500 bail and was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim, have no contact with him, wear a GPS tracking device and remain at least 25 yards from the alleged victim’s home, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Moriarty also argued in court that Downer should not have been held overnight because there was a chance he could have been arraigned Tuesday, the outlet reported.
“Nantucket police essentially decided they were not going to abide by the Constitution, because they think they’re above it,” Moriarty said, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Evening light falls on boats as they bob in the harbor of 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 outlet, Downer told investigators he was delivering juice to The Juice Bar, a popular ice cream shop on the island, when the Reis Trucking employee began punching him in the back of the head.
Downer allegedly told police he did not know the man, though they were from the same parish in Jamaica. He said he turned around, was kicked and then pulled a pocketknife from his waistband, swinging it toward the alleged victim two or three times, according to the report cited by the outlet.
A witness also told police that Downer went into The Juice Bar looking for another knife in case the alleged victim returned, and grabbed a 10- to 12-inch kitchen knife before employees took it away, The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
The alleged victim suffered what sources believe was a punctured lung and had a 2.5-inch open laceration on his left arm that was likely to require surgery and leave significant scarring, according to the outlet.
The wounded man ran toward “The Strip” on Broad Street, an area packed with casual restaurants and takeout spots, before returning toward his truck near the end of South Beach Street, where bystanders helped him, the report said.
While Nantucket is home to beaches, a historic downtown and outdoor recreation that attract summer visitors, health officials say tick-borne illnesses remain a persistent concern. (iStock)
Downer was arrested nearby on South Beach Street by Nantucket police Sgt. Travis Ray after being found sitting in a chair on the sidewalk, The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
The daytime violence rattled Nantucket as the wealthy coastal enclave enters peak summer season, when its year-round population swells with vacationers, day-trippers, seasonal workers and affluent homeowners.
