[UPDATED] Freeport man, 19, stabbed to death in domestic dispute

A relative of the 19-year-old man who was stabbed to death in a domestic dispute at the family's home in Freeport said the suspect, a close male relative, was defending himself.

"They never saw eye-to-eye. Once they were in the same space, there were always confrontations. They argued every day for the past year and a half. Everyone is shocked that it ended up this way. It could have been the other way around. (Suspect's name) was defending himself," Peter Coombs said on May 6 in Freeport.

He is the uncle of the deceased, Alex Coombs, of Joseph Drive off Mc Leod Trace. Alex was an outpatient at the psychiatric ward of the San Fernando General Hospital.

But Alex's mother Sabitha Partap, who spoke with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James on May 6, had a different story.

She recalled returning home around 11 pm on May 5 with food for Alex.

Partap said after eating, Alex and the suspect got into a heated argument at about 12.20 am on May 6.

The suspect accused Alex of not taking his medication, and Alex accused him of hiding food from him.

The two began to fight, and then she heard Alex say, "Ah bleeding."

Alex stumbled out of the house and fell into a chair at the front. She said she ran to the Freeport police station and officers escorted her back to the house within minutes.

The mother said, "The police called the ambulance, but they could not wait for it because he had lost too much blood. He was not looking good. They put him in their vehicle and took him to the Chaguanas health facility."

She said the staff tried to save him. But Alex was declared dead at 2.14 am.

Partap added, "They took my hands and cleaned them because they were covered in my son's blood.

"I asked if I could see him. He was lying there with his eyes closed.

"It hurts me to see him like that. I used to take care of him and always carry him for his medication. I do not have to do that any more."

Alex's uncle told Newsday that for several years, Alex had been in a children's home as the family was unable to control his violent outbursts even as a child.

He named a relative who he said also felt Alex's wrath but refused to take any action against him.

Coombs said when Alex turned 18, he returned to the community and stayed with him for about three months.

"Alex did not like restrictions and was liming with the wrong company. He was a fearless person.

"He had a mind of his own. Although he was 19, he functioned as an eight-year-old. He was not capable of making a life for himself. He probably could not spell his name properly," Coombs said.

Coombs owns a pottery business and tried to help Alex by giving him a job.

Coombs said the suspect made several complaints to Freeport police against Alex, and the police were helping him to take possible civil action against the now-deceased man.

Like Alex's mother, Coombs said the police who responded to the stabbing were "really helpful."

The suspect had already left when officers arrived. He was seen walking along the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

The police confirmed that they have responded to several domestic-related reports at the family's home but did not give details.

Central Division and Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, police are investigating.

The suspect remained at large.

This story was originally published with the title "Freeport teen stabbed by relative, dies at hospital" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A TEEN was stabbed in the chest outside his home by a relative the early morning of May 6, and later died.

Reports say at around 12.20 am, 19-year-old Alex Coombs was at his home on Joseph Street, McLean Trace, Freport, with his mother and a relative when an argument occurred. The relative took a knife and stabbed Coombs in the chest.

His mother ran to the Freeport Police Station to report the incident. Officers went back to the home with Coomb's mother, where they found him slumped in a chair outside their wooden one-room home.

He was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he succumbed to his injuries around 2.14 am. The relative was not there when police arrived.