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'1 of the crew members went crazy': Mayday call released from fatal attack at sea

BOSTON — The Coast Guard has released audio of the mayday call after a fishing boat crew member attacked his fellow crew members, killing one of them.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, the U.S. Coast Guard received a mayday call from the fishing boat Captain Billy Haver which was approximately 60 miles east of Nantucket. After about three minutes, the Coast Guard was able to establish communication with the boat's captain.

"We have a man gone crazy here on the boat, man," the captain told the Coast Guard.

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 27, was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the attack that happened on the Virginia-based fishing vessel Captain Billy Haver.

Vazquez is accused of assaulting three crew members with a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other.

"We have one man.... I don't know if he's dead or what.... but one of the crew members went crazy and he started hitting people in the head with a hammer," the captain said.

One victim saw another crew member on the deck with blood coming out of his mouth, and Vazquez then struck a third colleague with the hammer before he was chased up the mast in an attempt to avoid capture, authorities said.

"I have three men that's injured right now... one I can't wake him up, I don't know if he's dead or not," said the captain.

The German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 responded, taking two injured fishermen on board; one had a visible wound to the head and stab wounds to the torso, and the ship's doctor pronounced that crew member dead.

Vazquez is a Mexican citizen and had been living in the U.S. illegally, prosecutors said.

After local police released him at the time to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an immigration judge granted Vazquez bond over ICE objections and he was released, an agency spokesman said Tuesday.

"ICE is closely monitoring his case to determine next steps to ensure he no longer poses a public safety threat," the agency said in a statement.

Vazquez appeared in federal court on Wednesday where he was ordered held without bail. His public defender requested a probable cause hearing for next week.

Vazquez is also facing several charges in Newport News, Virginia for an alleged abduction in March.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.