Richardson bar patrons reunite with bartender after stopping stabbing suspect
Richardson bar patrons recall stopping stabbing suspect
It's been nearly six months since four people were stabbed at a Richardson bar. Now three people who were there that night and jumped into action to help others are supporting each other.
RICHARDSON, Texas - Nearly six months after a violent attack at a Richardson bar left four people injured, the regular patrons who stepped in to save a beloved bartender are opening up about their recovery and bond.
Richardson Bar Stabbing
The backstory:
On May 6, Stephen Kwembe called 911 to report that he was heading to Good Vibes Bar & Grill in Richardson to murder a bartender who had kicked him out months earlier.
Upon arriving, Kwembe jumped over the bar with a knife and began stabbing bartender Fefe Cansino.
Seeing Cansino in danger, three regular patrons—Reuben Blackwell, Harold Stemper, and Garrett Ledger—jumped over the bar to intervene and stop the suspect.
All three men suffered severe stab wounds during the struggle before responding officers arrived and shot and killed Kwembe.
They, along with Cansino, spent significant time in the hospital recovering from their injuries.
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Reunion and Recovery
What they're saying:
When FOX 4 spoke to Cansino in July, she credited the three men with risking their lives to save hers.
"I can never repay them for jumping in and saving me," Cansino said. "And putting their own bodies on the line."
Richardson bartender still recovering after May stabbing attack
The bartender who was attacked in a May stabbing in Richardson says she can still see the "darkness" in her attacker's eyes from that night.
The group reunited in person at a recent fundraiser event, where community members gathered to rally financial support.
The three men said their memories of that terrifying night are a bit fuzzy.
"And I looked over there and I went, ‘What the f--k? And I just jumped over the bar and grabbed that motherf—ker and I remember falling back," Blackwell said.
He was not the only one to jump in. Stemper did the same thing, and so did Ledger.
"If I don’t do something, he’s going to kill her," Stemper recalled.
"So yeah, no I didn’t notice until I was coming out from behind and I was like, alright, something, something’s wet, something’s warm. Something ain’t right. And I lift up my shirt, and I’m lit up and I’m like, ‘Oh, okay," Ledger said.
Stemper and Blackwell were also stabbed.
"He stabbed me right in the heart, in the bottom of my heart. I have staples in my heart now that’ll never go away," Stemper said.
"And then I get up and look down, and I seen my guts hanging out," Blackwell said.
But the three men said seeing Cansino alive makes them feel like it was worth it.
"God wrapped his arms right around all of us," Stemper said.
They also expressed their gratitude to all the people who attended the fundraiser and donated to support their recovery efforts. It makes them feel appreciated.
"We take care of people. We take care of one another. And that’s what we need to have more going on in life is people watching out for one another," Blackwell said.
The Source: FOX 4's David Sentendry gathered information for this story by interviewing Reuben Blackwell, Harold Stemper, and Garrett Ledger. Other details are from the Richardson Police Department and past news coverage.