Gold miner chopped to death in row over woman

A Bartica gold miner was on Sunday morning brutally chopped to death after a row over a woman turned violent in the Papa Road, Arimu Backdam, Cuyuni River.

Dead is Oswald Joris called ‘Buns’ of First Avenue Bartica. Reports are that the condition of the man’s mangled corpse prompted the authorities to conduct the post-mortem examination in Bartica rather bring the body to the city.

Police said in a statement that another man, who is yet to be arrested, murdered Joris. Investigations have so far revealed that Joris was a shop owner in the area. It is alleged that earlier in the day he had an argument with the suspect over a woman. Some time later Joris was in the company of the said woman drinking rum when the suspect confronted him and brutally chopped him with a cutlass about his body, then fled. Joris died before receiving medical attention at the Bartica Hospital.

Stabroek News was unable to make contact with any relative of the dead man, but reports are that Joris was no stranger to controversy.

According to a source, Joris had been operating his shop in the Arimu area for a number of years serving mainly gold miners.

Meanwhile, in another incident an East Bank Essequibo resident was shot in his abdomen while hunting at Gold Mine, in the Essequibo River. Police at Bartica are investigating the circumstances under which the hunter, Joseph Carrington, 74, sustained the gunshot injury in his abdomen. Carrington of Aliki, East Bank Essequibo and his two sons were hunting at Gold Mine, Essequibo River when the incident occurred. Police said the man was lying in a hammock when he heard what appeared to be a gunshot and subsequently felt a burning sensation in his abdomen. He has since been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital and is in a stable condition.