A fight that occurred outside a West New York gas station last week that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old Bergen County resident was, according to one newspaper report, triggered by revenge.
Garmair O. Brown, 21, of River Edge, who according to sources was nicknamed "Bow Wow," was pronounced dead at Jersey City Medical Center at approximately 11 p.m. Sunday night.
According to Chief of Investigations for the Hudson County Prosecutor Jack Hill, "There was a confrontation between two groups of people. The confrontation apparently immediately followed the Dominican Parade that took place in Union City and West New York."
Hill also said that during the confrontation "The victim, Garmair O. Brown, was stabbed five times in the chest with a metal instrument. At this time, we are not sure if it was a screwdriver or a knife. The medical examiner hasn’t been able to ascertain yet what was used."
According to published reports, there was another victim in the melee, a 16-year-old West New York youth. According to a local newspaper, that victim said he was stabbed in the arm by a screwdriver and hit with a stick.
According to Hill, "We have witnesses and we have motor vehicles that were at the scene and were involved. We expect to make significant progress in the next few days."
The second victim, according to the newspaper article, claimed that trouble had been simmering between the two groups of people for months.
The 16-year-old stated in the report that about two hours after the Dominican parade ended, he, Brown and other friends were sitting on the steps of a building on 60th Street and Broadway when a car pulled up and another group of youths emerged, one of whom was screaming at Brown. As the two groups met, one of the men allegedly stabbed Brown in the chest.
Brown fell to the sidewalk just east of the Exxon gas station on 60th Street and Broadway, bleeding profusely from his wounds. According to the reports, the 16-year-old, though injured himself, ran to a nearby corner to find help and was successful in finding a plainclothes officer who called in back up.
‘If they can kill him, they can kill us’
Last Monday night, the scene was somber as friends of the victim lit candles and drank alcohol in honor of the fallen youth.
A man who spoke to the crowd, and identified by one of the mourners as a "friend" of Brown, wailed angrily, "You people are for real. Your word is bond, you know? If they can kill him, they can kill us."
Underneath the somber atmosphere was a sense of anger. Many of the youths who were gathered around the makeshift shrine seemed agitated, and a few bristled at the presence of a reporter.
A phalanx of West New York Police officers stood guard. The incident occurred a scant five blocks from the West New York Municipal Building.
As is their standing policy, none of the West New York police officers would speak to the Reporter, nor would West New York Police Director Joseph Pelliccio. They referred all inquiries to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, which normally handles all homicides.
According to Chief Hill, the investigation will continue until the suspect is caught.
"We are actively and diligently investigating this," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at (201) 215-1345.