Herring’s neighbor and friend Brooke Jones, however, said that she wasn’t aware of any neighbors harassing Herring.

“They’ll talk their little talk but, at the end of the day, she’s heard it so many times she didn’t let it faze her,” Jones said.

Jones said Herring was excited Monday night about a barbecue she was planning for her friends. Law enforcement now say the event may be connected to the dispute that resulted in the stabbing and the call for police.

A small fire that caused minor damage to both the second- and first-floor porches at the two-family flat started after charcoal from a barbecue pit on a second-floor balcony fell out of the pit. Firefighters responded to the address shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday. The small blaze was extinguished and firefighters didn’t notice anything unusual that would have made them alert police, according to the fire department.

It wasn’t clear why police thought there could be a connection to the later stabbing. Interim Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole said that was part of the investigation.

Jones said the description of the stabbing by police seemed out of character for Herring.