A widow in Brooklyn is demanding justice after her husband and stepson were fatally shot over a long-standing noise dispute with a neighbor. Bladimy Mathurin, 47, and Chinwai Mode, 27, lost their lives in the tragic incident, which stemmed from ongoing tensions with the neighbor, marking a four-year conflict over noise levels.
Law enforcement authorities have identified Jason Pass, a 47-year-old downstairs neighbor, as the primary suspect in the double homicide case.
The widow, Marie Delille, refuted the claims that her late husband, Mathurin, was armed with a firearm during the confrontation, according to the Daily Mail. She appealed for justice to prevail in the case.
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The shooting incident, as reported by the New York Post, took place on the fourth floor of a prominent housing complex in East Flatbush, known for being the childhood home of celebrities like Barbra Streisand and the late Michael K. Williams from “The Wire.”
Disturbing video footage captured a man in black clothing agitated while pacing the apartment hallway. The situation intensified after a woman in casual attire exited the apartment. The woman is seen on the scene and is soon joined by a man, identified as her son, Mode, aged 27. As a result of the lack of audio in the video, it makes it unclear what the exchange between the neighbors is.
As tension escalates, the mother and son are later joined by Mathurin, who also appears agitated and seemingly holding a pair of scissors as he confronts the neighbor.
In the aftermath of the initial shooting, the stepson, who witnessed Mathurin’s fall, tries to flee from the assailant but is unable to escape. He is shot multiple times and falls motionless, leaving a pool of blood near the staircase.
The alleged perpetrator, Pass, then reportedly turns his attention back to Mathurin, who is struggling to rise, and executes him in a point-blank manner just outside his door.
Following the fatal shooting of two individuals, the alleged perpetrator calmly surveys the blood-stained hallway before waiting for an elevator. He boarded the elevator and departed the scene. The authorities later recovered nine bullet casings from the crime scene, as reported by the New York Post.
On October 28, the neighbor initiated a dispute by banging on his ceiling due to what he claimed were loud noises from Mathurin and Delille’s apartment. In response, Mathurin banged back, leading the neighbor to rush up the stairs and kick the family’s front door, as reported by the grieving widow. She emphasized that the neighbor harbored deep animosity toward her family.
A woman purporting to be the older sister of the alleged shooter asserted that Mathurin and his family had previously threatened her mother and brother. She described the incident on Sunday as an act of self-defense, alleging that the Mathurin family had repeatedly shouted threats such as “We’re gonna kill you! We hate you!” on numerous occasions when encountering each other, whether it was when they were leaving or entering their respective homes or while they were in their vehicles.
She emphasized that their family is not inclined to create problems and suggested that Pass had initially gone upstairs to address the noise issue with the Mathurin family, rather than initiating an attack.
The ongoing feud between the neighbors involved multiple complaints, with the NYPD reporting that Pass had called 311 six times since March 2022 to complain about his upstairs neighbors. Delille disclosed that this conflict had persisted for four years, and CBS revealed that numerous complaints were lodged with the building management, but no resolution was reached.
Concerns for safety among friends and family persisted as the shooter, Pass, remained at large, raising fears of a potential return. However, on Thursday, the New York Post reported that Pass was fatally shot by police early Wednesday when he charged at cops with a six-inch knife during a traffic stop in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Farah Louis said the incident has brought financial strain on the Mathurin family. She noted that Bladimy Mathurin was the primary breadwinner who supported his wife’s education and their children’s school fees.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson, Thomas Mailey, revealed that Pass had a brief career as a correction officer at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Westchester but was terminated in 2005. He lost his job after brandishing a firearm in a road rage incident involving two plainclothes police officers in Brooklyn.
