Fatal Clementi stabbing: Victim was a grassroots volunteer

SINGAPORE - Screams shattered the peace in Clementi Avenue 4 on Oct 21 as a grassroots volunteer with the Trivelis Residents' Network, which serves the Trivelis estate, was attacked by another resident.

The 41-year-old victim had been assaulted by a 50-year-old man and was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he died, and the suspect was arrested.

They were residents of the estate.

The suspect was caught on video chasing the victim from the pickup point between blocks 311B and 311C. The pickup point is directly in front of the Trivelis Residents' Network office at the foot of Block 311B.

The victim, whom The Straits Times understands to be Mr Winson Khoo, had tripped near a drain about 20m away from the office when the suspect allegedly attacked him.

A woman, believed to be Mr Khoo's wife, screamed during the assault as he lay on the ground.

Together with a parking attendant, she had tried to prise the suspect off her husband, but to no avail.

There was also someone shouting for people to call the police.

As Mr Khoo lay on the ground in a pool of his blood, cries of "sorry, sorry" could be heard in the clip.

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Residents said the attacker later turned his attention to the woman, chasing her as she fled screaming.

They said she sought refuge in a pre-school at Block 311C.

The suspect then walked to his black car at the pickup point and drove into the multi-storey carpark where he allegedly reversed repeatedly into another car.

He was stopped as he was driving out of the carpark and arrested by the police.

Other residents said a medical worker, a resident who was on her way home, rushed forward to help Mr Khoo.

Videos shared with ST by the residents show her still in her uniform, performing chest compressions on him.

Residents said both men were familiar faces in the estate, with Mr Khoo often going door to door as part of grassroots activities.

Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that he was the vice-chairman of the Trivelis Residents' Network.

Staff at the office declined to comment when approached by ST on Oct 22.

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That night, the People's Association (PA) issued a statement saying Mr Khoo was a grassroots volunteer, and they were saddened by his death.

The PA said his wake would start on Oct 23.

It urged members of the public to not forward or share graphic footage or images of the incident.

When ST went to Mr Khoo's home on Oct 22, two women who had been crying came to the door.

The family declined to comment and requested privacy, saying they were still coming to terms with his death.

On Oct 22, the police said preliminary investigations revealed that both men knew each other.

The suspect will be charged in court on Oct 23 with murder, which carries the death penalty.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.