Baker fatally stabbed by youth

A 40-year-old baker was fatally stabbed yesterday by a youth with whom he had an altercation.

Damon Weatherspoon at 15
Damon Weatherspoon at 15

Damon Weatherspoon called ‘Iso’, a baker of Adelaide Street, Charlestown died while undergoing emergency surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital shortly before 9 last night. His attacker was not held by police up to press time though shortly after Weatherspoon died, they had gone in search of him. Moments before he was stabbed, Weatherspoon had an altercation with the youth in an attempt to prevent him from harassing another man.

Weatherspoon’s sister, Althea told Stabroek News that the incident occurred sometime after 5 pm yesterday. Speaking at the Georgetown Public Hospital last night, she said that the incident occurred at the junction of Broad and Adelaide streets, Charles-town. She recounted that her older brother had tried to prevent the Albouystown youth from harassing another man. Althea said that the youth, who she identified as Garraway, was “speeding” the man and he and Weatherspoon “had a lil quarrel” and the youth left.

However, moments later, the youth returned on his bicycle, pulled out an ice-pick and stabbed Weatherspoon in his chest. The baker collapsed while his assailant ran away. “We get the bicycle and ice pick that he left”, Althea said. Weatherspoon was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. While undergoing surgery, he succumbed. The ice-pick had penetrated his left lungs and also the left side of his heart, Althea said. She noted that her oldest brother had also lost a lot of blood.

One of Weatherspoon’s brothers was inconsolable at the hospital as he loudly lamented the man’s death. He said that his brother has turned his life around after years of abusing drugs. “My brother change he life”, Althea said. “He use to smoke 15, 16 years and he change. He stop completely”.

She said that after her brother got to know his 15-year-old daughter and even while he was abusing drugs, he was offered jobs because he was a good baker. She said that he had been in this profession for about 25 years. “Why people got to be so cruel”, she lamented. She said that Weatherspoon was the eldest of the seven siblings, five brothers and one sister.

Weatherspoon’s father resides in the United States while his mother lives here. At the home last night, distraught relatives gathered were heard lamenting Weatherspoon’s death. “De kill a good man, De kill a good man. But they gon catch he though”, one relative shouted.

A co-worker, when told that Weatherspoon had succumbed started to shake his head in disbelief before shedding tears.  He too said the man did not deserve to die in that way.