Denis Rufin in hospital after suffering multiple chop wounds on Thursday.
Thursday’s chopping of a young man in Dennery village may stem from the discovery of a bag, believed to contain drugs, that was retrieved from the sea by two men, sources close to the victim have told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).
Denis Rufin, 22, sustained wounds to his heels, the lower part of his right knee and the right side of his face. The attack occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, July 9 near the “laundry by the infant school” on Victoria Street, a source told SNO.
Rufin was transported to Dennery Hospital. He was reportedly scheduled to undergo surgery at Victoria Hospital on Friday.
“They were running after him and he fell. That was when they lashed him with the cutlass. It was two young guys from the same area (Dennery village),” the source told SNO.
Unconfirmed reports are that two suspects were brought into custody.
But SNO understands that this is not the first time Rufin was being attacked. Reports are that on June 28, at Dennery village, the same suspects robbed him of his phone and money, and stripped him of his clothes.
“He made a report (to the police) and nothing was being done,” the source alleged.
What is behind the attacks?
“It is said that he had gotten some drugs in a sack, just by the islet in Dennery,” the source said.
SNO understands that a few weeks ago, a sack was spotted offshore and Rufin and a friend went on a boat to retrieve it.
It is further alleged that Rufin and his friend claimed to not have found anything of worth in the bag. However, it appears that other men did not buy this story.
A relative confirmed the information about the sack with SNO, while pointing out that the men are strangely not after Rufin’s friend, apparently.
“I believe since he is a quiet person they got an upper hand on him,” the relative said.
Commenting further on the discovery of the bag, the relative added: “I was told that the bag contained a bottle and it was just floating. They went after the sack which they thought had drugs.
“They saw it from the fishing port when some boys spotted it floating, so he (Rufin) and a friend went to check it out using a boat, and they retrieved the bag with the bottle but found nothing in it. So they believe that Rufin got something in the bag. And again since he is a quiet person so they took advantage on him. The men saw the bag too but they believe that it had something.”
Friends and family members are hoping that the police will get to the bottom of this incident before it escalates any further.