Seafood worker charged in stabbing near Nantucket ferry docks says video backs self-defense in wealthy enclave
Massachusetts Seafood worker charged in stabbing near Nantucket ferry docks says video backs self-defense in wealthy enclave
Attorney Rob Moriarty says footage shows the alleged victim punching Kemar Downer from behind before being stabbed
By
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten Fox News
Published
June 24, 2026 6:48pm EDT close 
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Toby Brown, the chair of the Nantucket GOP, spoke to Fox News Digital about several recent ICE arrests on the island.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!The seafood delivery worker accused of stabbing a man near Nantucket’s busy ferry docks claims police video shows he acted in self-defense after being attacked from behind in the heart of the ritzy island’s downtown, his attorney told Fox News Digital.
Kemar Downer, 40, a Sayle’s Seafood employee, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
"The video corroborates Kemar’s statements," his attorney, Rob Moriarty, told Fox News Digital , describing the footage as showing "complete and total self-defense."
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"The video was amazing for them," Moriarty said of the defense.
Kemar Downer, 40, a Sayle’s Seafood employee, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Nantucket District Court on two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. (Jason Graziadei / Nantucket Current)
Moriarty said the altercation was "over a girl," The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
Moriarty said the video shows the alleged victim, a Reis Trucking employee whom he described as larger than Downer, coming up behind his client and punching him several times in the back of the head.
"He surprised him, punches him like three times in the back of the head," Moriarty said. "Kind of knocks him into something. I can’t tell exactly what it was. He was leaning over at the time."
The attorney said the man then kicked Downer multiple times before the knife came out.
"And then as he’s kicking him, that’s when I think the knife comes out," Moriarty said.
A few passengers ride the 11:55 high speed ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket as it leaves Hyannis Harbor in Hyannis, MA on March 18, 2020. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The stabbing erupted Tuesday morning on South Beach Street, a downtown stretch near the Steamship Authority ferry terminal, where summer visitors pour onto Nantucket with beach bags and luggage before fanning out toward the island’s cobblestoned streets.
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Nantucket police previously said officers responded at 10:23 a.m. to South Beach Street between Broad Street and Oak Street for a reported stabbing. The injured person was treated at the scene and rushed to Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
Downer was released on $2,500 bail and was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim, have no contact with him, wear a GPS tracking device and remain at least 25 yards from the alleged victim’s home, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Moriarty also argued in court that Downer should not have been held overnight because there was a chance he could have been arraigned Tuesday, the outlet reported.
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"Nantucket police essentially decided they were not going to abide by the Constitution, because they think they’re above it," Moriarty said, according to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Evening light falls on boats as they bob in the harbor of Nantucket, MA on Aug. 13, 2020. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
According to a police report cited by the outlet, Downer told investigators he was delivering juice to The Juice Bar, a popular ice cream shop on the island, when the Reis Trucking employee began punching him in the back of the head.
Downer allegedly told police he did not know the man, though they were from the same parish in Jamaica. He said he turned around, was kicked and then pulled a pocketknife from his waistband, swinging it toward the alleged victim two or three times, according to the report cited by the outlet.
A witness also told police that Downer went into The Juice Bar looking for another knife in case the alleged victim returned, and grabbed a 10- to 12-inch kitchen knife before employees took it away, The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
The alleged victim suffered what sources believe was a punctured lung and had a 2.5-inch open laceration on his left arm that was likely to require surgery and leave significant scarring, according to the outlet.
The wounded man ran toward "The Strip" on Broad Street, an area packed with casual restaurants and takeout spots, before returning toward his truck near the end of South Beach Street, where bystanders helped him, the report said.
While Nantucket is home to beaches, a historic downtown and outdoor recreation that attract summer visitors, health officials say tick-borne illnesses remain a persistent concern. (iStock)
Downer was arrested nearby on South Beach Street by Nantucket police Sgt. Travis Ray after being found sitting in a chair on the sidewalk, The Inquirer and Mirror reported.
The daytime violence rattled Nantucket as the wealthy coastal enclave enters peak summer season, when its year-round population swells with vacationers, day-trippers, seasonal workers and affluent homeowners.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X @s_rumpfwhitten
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
