The great-grandmother mercilessly butchered by an alleged homeless lunatic on an Atlanta practice was carrying a knife – however didn’t have time to tug it out and attempt to defend herself, in line with her grieving daughter.
Margaret Swan, 66, carried the knife for defense as she spent a long time using the Metropolitan Atlanta Speedy Transit Authority after by no means studying to drive, counting on the commuter rail day-after-day earlier than her throat was slashed and he or she was stabbed almost two dozen instances early Saturday.
“She took the practice on a regular basis,” Shanae Sams, 46, informed 11Alive of her mom, a retired Atlanta Public Faculties mother or father coordinator.
“You understand everybody says to guard themselves, however my mother had safety on her. It was an act of nowhere,” she mentioned of the horrific ambush. “She didn’t have time to even attempt to shield herself.”
Swan was sitting alone on the practice round 11:20 a.m. when John Elijah Matthews, 25, was caught on chilling surveillance footage boarding and hovering over her earlier than allegedly pulling out a knife and slitting her throat, in line with a warrant obtained by the outlet.
The unwitting passenger – a mom of three, grandmother of 5 and great-grandmother of 4 – screamed and tried to flee, however the suspect allegedly held her down and stabbed her one other 18 to twenty instances earlier than leaving her lifeless on the bottom in a big pool of her personal blood.
“She was screaming for assist, and no person was serving to her,” Sams informed The Publish on Monday.
Matthews was rapidly arrested on the platform at Oakland Metropolis Station nonetheless brandishing a knife.
The devastated daughter ripped native officers for quickly opening the transit system to free riders, together with the homeless, throughout systemwide renovations and failing to correctly police its stations.
“To me, it’s negligence with the safety and the patrolling,” Sams mentioned.
“Anyone has entry to get on and off the trains. When you’re permitting free stuff like that, for me, police patrolling was negligent, there was no safety, there was nothing. This complete state of affairs is a state of affairs that might have been prevented.”
Saturday’s deadly knifing occurred lower than per week after one other MARTA rider was stabbed a number of instances on the Georgia State Station close to the Georgia State Capitol final Sunday.
MARTA officers referred to as the heinous daylight killing a “mindless and heartbreaking loss,” whereas noting that hundreds of workers, 280 sworn officers and 30 area specialists work day by day to guard riders.
“We’re dedicated to [doing] every little thing we will to guard our prospects and workers and reply rapidly when incidents happen,” a transit spokesperson mentioned Monday.
Matthews, who was reportedly homeless, faces one depend of felony homicide.
He’s being held at Fulton County Jail.
