10-year-old hailed as hero after helping stabbing victim

Ten-year-old Draé Barrett is being hailed as a hero after his swift and brave actions helped save the life of a stabbing victim who sought assistance at his family’s doorstep in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“I imagined this happening with other people, but not with me,” the St. Ignatius student said Monday afternoon in an interview with the Cayman Compass.

Looking back, Draé said he had no idea what made him act the way he did, it was instinctive when the stranger – who had been stabbed at a residence nearby after disarming a woman with a gun – banged on the door of their Prospect home begging for help.

‘Help me, help; I got stabbed, I got stabbed’

Draé and his mother Dennellia Stewart had just arrived at their home in the Marina Drive area around midnight after an evening out, and were settling in to watch some television before bed.

“All of a sudden, we heard a pounding on each one of the doors,” Draé said, banging the table to demonstrate the sound that startled him and his mother.

“We heard it three times and then we got up in a rush and went to the front door… and then the man [at the door] said, ‘Help me, help; I got stabbed, I got stabbed’, and started showing us the wound,” he said.

Stewart said when she first heard the banging, she thought it was at her neighbour’s house.

“I was, like, ‘What in the world?’ and it just kept getting closer, so by the time he had gotten to us, I was well alert and [asked], ‘Who’s there and what do you want?'” she said.

Looking though the door blinds, she saw the man outside, and called 911.

Stewart admitted she was scared at first that it may have been someone pretending to be hurt as part of a robbery attempt.

However, she said, while she was on the phone, she looked over at her son who was shaking his head from side to side as if he was thinking about what to do, before he unlocked the door to let the wounded man inside.

They guided the man to a chair, and Draé grabbed a kitchen towel and placed it on his wound.

“Then I went to the room to get my towel and then put it on his back. A short while later… 30 minutes later, the police came and ambulance. Firearm [police] started coming to the house,” Draé said.

Police, in a statement issued Sunday, said the man had been involved in an altercation nearby, on Domino Street, with another man and a woman, during which the women brandished a firearm at the victim, who grabbed it from her and left the house. But as he was leaving, he was stabbed by the second man, police said.

The victim handed the firearm over to Stewart before police arrived at her house. The RCIPS said the gun contained one round of ammunition.

The other two involved in the altercation, a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, both of George Town, were arrested on suspicion of possessing an unlicensed firearm and wounding.

The wounded man was taken by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital and later released.

A proud mother

Stewart beamed with pride as she recounted seeing her young son spring into action.

“Not many 10-year-olds have a story like this. A lot of kids would have probably cried and run away,” she said.

Stewart said while she was on the phone with 911, she watched in awe as her son, who has no formal First Aid training, nor experience with such a scenario, tried to save the stranger’s life.

“He just started helping him. He was asking him a lot of questions, I guess, making sure that he stayed conscious… he got him water,” she said.

“I know that Draé is fearless and he’s always exhibited that from a young baby, but to see him act like that, and I knew that the wheels in his head was turning from the time I saw that little ping-pong with his head, but I didn’t expect him to open the door. I was kind of waiting on 911 to let me know what I should do, because I didn’t know if this gentleman was being followed. I didn’t know.”

Ambitions to become a first responder

However, she said, her son knew time was of the essence and let the wounded man in.

The boy, who loves watching anime and dreams of being a famous basketball player, said, after this experience, he would like to like become a police officer or a first responder.

Stewart said the incident is a reminder of how important it is know First Aid and she believes that having kids trained on how to render help is a necessary tool.

“It is very, very important. I hadn’t noticed before this situation, but having this kind of training – and I think it should be of national importance – this could potentially save a life, because at no given time did we ever expect something like this to fall on our doorstep, and [without] the swiftness, it could have been worse,” she said.

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service issued a special message of commendation to Draé for his act of bravery, and said it intends to recognise the young boy at an appropriate time in the future.

Since the incident, Draé and his mother have not seen the man they helped.

However, the 10-year-old had a message for him, “I hope you get better.”

Stewart added, “Speedy recovery to you. We hope that you never forget us and we will see you around.”