An altercation between two roommates in a tight Key West condo resulted in a near-fatal stabbing early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
According to authorities, the fighting occurred shortly before 3 a.m. inside an apartment on Flagler Avenue that had been transformed from an open-air patio into a bedroom with three beds shared by six individuals.
Elvis Savia-Mayorga, 41, the accused in the stabbing, informed police that the victim, Juan Victor Artola-Diaz, 36, came home arguing and threatening to remove some of the other roommates.
Savia-Mayorga disagreed, claiming that everyone was either family or old friends, according to the report. According to the report, Savia-Mayorga claimed that his cousin Artola-Diaz approached him forcefully, and that he felt intimidated, so he took a huge knife from a kitchenette inside the flat.
Savia-Mayorga told authorities that during the battle, he collapsed and injured Artola-Diaz. Witnesses in the apartment reported that the two struggled, with Artola-Diaz on top of Savia-Mayorga, who was clutching the knife.
According to the investigation, another witness noticed the two men fighting, and Savia-Mayorga stabbed Artola-Diaz in the back as they fell to the floor. According to police, Artola-Diaz suffered two major stab wounds to his back.
Paramedics initially transported him to Lower Keys Medical Center, but physicians concluded that he was in severe condition and needed to be transferred to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital for surgery.
His status as of Monday was not immediately known. Savia-Mayorga is being jailed without bond at Key West jail on attempted murder charges.