Trelawny taxi operator stabbed to death in dispute over seating

A dispute over seating arrangements turned deadly on Thursday night when a 34-year-old taxi operator was fatally stabbed on Tharpe Street in Falmouth.

The deceased has been identified as Stephen Morris of Duncans Hill in Trelawny.

Superintendent Ainsley McCarty, officer in charge of the Trelawny Police Division, told The Gleaner that the incident occurred around 8:00 p.m.

“There was a confrontation between Morris and the perpetrator over seating arrangements. A ratchet knife was brought into the confrontation, and Morris was stabbed in the abdomen. He was taken to the Falmouth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead,” McCarty said.

The alleged attacker, whose identity has not yet been released, was reportedly mobbed by onlookers following the incident. He sustained injuries, was treated at hospital, and subsequently released into police custody. He remains in custody pending further investigations.

Superintendent McCarty noted that Morris’ death brings the parish’s murder count since the start of the year to six.

“The murder count, when compared to 2024 at the same time, shows a 50 per cent decrease. We are happy that there is a decrease, but even one murder is one too many,” he said.

- Leon Jackson

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