The victim of the Bronx train stabbing started a fight that cost him his life, says the accused murderer's lawyer

The lawyer for a man accused of stabbing a former inmate during a fight on a Bronx subway said the victim started the altercation.

Shane Cunnison, 37, was arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court on Monday and charged with manslaughter and assault, two days after Nigel Dumas, 33, was stabbed twice in the chest on a No. 2 train heading uptown.

Cunnison's attorney, Alexandra Ketz, said Cunnison was approached and provoked by Dumas and that the knife used to stab Dumas belonged to the victim.

Cunnison's family and girlfriend were in the courtroom during the arraignment and contradicted the prosecutor's version of events.

Husam Asez, assistant district attorney for the Bronx, said an altercation broke out between the two men and the defendant stabbed the victim twice in the chest, striking his heart, resulting in his death.

Cunnison's girlfriend stomped out of the courtroom.

“That’s not true,” she said as she left.

Cunnison's mother cried as she listened to the arraignment.

Dumas was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the robbery and subsequent murder of a 47-year-old Salvadoran immigrant, a restaurant dishwasher and father of four, who was sitting on a bench in a park in Summit, New Jersey.

Dumas was released from prison in February. His family said his life is moving in the right direction and he is rebuilding his relationships with his family and friends.

According to sources, Dumas was on a train in the Bronx on Saturday when he caught sight of Cunnison through the window between the cars at about 3:25 p.m. When the train stopped at a station, Dumas got into Cunnison's car and the two argued, the sources said.

Dumas pulled out a knife, but Cunnison eventually grabbed it from him and stabbed him in the chest at the Third Avenue-149th Street station, police said.

Cunnison was held on $200,000 bail.

Originally published: 26 August 2024 at 18:51