The uncle of a man killed in a violent London home invasion says he’ll never forget the panic and horror of watching his nephew take his last breaths.

As many as five intruders barged into the house just before midnight Monday at 1 Landsdowne Ave., where 43-year-old Raymond Beaver was stabbed, said George Janes on Tuesday.

Beaver’s death marks the third homicide of the year in London.

Janes, 47, said he was sleeping upstairs with his girlfriend at his nephew’s home when he heard crashing and yelling on the main floor.

He rushed downstairs, throwing whatever he could grab at the intruders, Janes said.

Though he’d been hit in the head with a crowbar and knocked to the ground, he said he sprang up and ran to his nephew who’d been stabbed in the neck and was bleeding heavily.

“I couldn’t get downstairs in time,” he said Tuesday, still in his hospital gown from the night before. “It was the worst thing, to go downstairs and hear him gurgling his last breath.”

London police were tight-lipped but asked for the public’s help as they searched for an undetermined number of suspects. Police believe Beaver was targeted.

Officers rushed to the two-­storey home, east of Adelaide Street at Trafalgar Street, about 11:40 p.m. Police said two men were taken to hospital. The stabbing victim was pronounced dead and the other, a 47-year-old Londoner, was treated and released. Janes, recovering from a three-inch gash on the top of his head, said he’s the other man.

Janes said rising family tensions between a teenage daughter of Beaver and his niece contributed to the ambush. He said threats and allegations were exchanged by text and on Facebook in the days beforehand. “People threaten all the time, but nothing ever happens,” he said, regretting he hadn’t taken the messages more seriously.

Janes’ girlfriend, Connie Conway, said Beaver’s niece and her boyfriend had been staying at the house before the assault. It wasn’t uncommon for Beaver to take in friends and family, Janes said.

“He was the kind of guy that would help anybody out. He’d let people stay with him all the time and tried to help him out the best he could,” he said.

Police officers and detectives swarmed the scene Tuesday morning, interviewing witnesses and neighbours.

Several suspects were seen fleeing on foot Monday night but no one was in custody, said London police Const. Sandasha Bough.

Police weren’t able to provide suspect descriptions, and Bough was unable to say if a weapon had been recovered.

Beaver’s friends and family gathered at King’s Inn Diner Tuesday, a downtown spot he frequented and where his wife Dianna worked. London police said the family is requesting privacy.

Friends said Beaver was a fun and friendly guy, a familiar face they’ll miss. “He was bubbly, he was giggly. He could cheer anybody up,” said Conway.

London’s other homicide victims this year are Matthew Perry and Vijay Bhatia.

jbieman@postmedia.com

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