By JASMIN BONIMY ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ jasmin@nasguard.com:
A mother of two became the nation's eighth murder victim of the year when she was stabbed to death during a domestic dispute late Wednesday night, according to police.
Police press liaison officer Sergeant Chrislyn Skippings said the violent altercation occurred at a home on Sapodilla Avenue in the Pinewood Gardens neighborhood.
Skippings said the victim, who was identified as 24-year-old Prestina Fernander, was fatally stabbed once to the left side by a man known to her around 11 p.m.
She added that shortly after the stabbing, Fernander was taken to hospital by E.M.S. personnel where she later succumbed to her injuries.
While police said they have arrested a man who is expected to be charged this afternoon in connection with the murder, Fernander's family members, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Nassau Guardian they were shocked to learn of her death.
Speaking from the family's Pinewood Gardens home yesterday morning, they said they must now explain the young mother's death to the four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter she leaves behind.
Still, incidents of violence are not foreign to the Pinewood community, known for its high crime rates. Last year, several violent altercations ended in murders in that neighborhood.
Just five weeks into 2010 Fernander became the eighth murder victim for the year.
In other crime news, police yesterday identified the nation's seventh murder victim as Rashad Woodside, 23, of Plantol Street.
Skippings said Woodside died in hospital around seven o'clock Wednesday night after he was shot on Plantol Street early last month.
Police also revealed more details about the recent drive-by shooting that landed four men in hospital.
Skippings said police received a call about the shooting in Montell Heights around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday night.
She said the group of men were standing in a yard when a person or persons pulled up in a Honda vehicle that was traveling west on Ethel Street, and fired gunshots in the direction of the group.
As a result, Skippings said the four men were shot multiple times about the body and were taken to hospital where they are listed in serious but stable condition.
She added that police are continuing their investigations.
Monday February 5 2010
