A 23-year-old mason was found dead on the Better Hope, East Coast Demerara public road early yesterday morning with a stab wound to his chest.
Dead is Javid Ashlim Mohamed of 636 Best Plantation, West Coast Demerara. Relatives said that the cricket-loving man had gone to view a match at the Better Hope Ground and had got into an altercation with a group of men over a female. His father, Yusuf Mohamed, said that according to information, his son was awaiting transportation to return home when he was attacked. Police initially held a youth who was last seen with Mohamed.
Police, in a statement, said that they are investigating the suspected murder. Ranks of a police patrol found Mohamed’s body at 1am yesterday on the Better Hope public road and took him to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. There was an injury to his right side chest, the police said.
Yusuf also known as Sohan Persaud told Stabroek News that he had last seen Javid on Saturday morning when the young man left home to go to the Diamond Housing Scheme on the East Bank Demerara where he was working as a mason/carpenter. Javid’s brother, Ikram and Javid’s brother-in-law accompanied him as they also worked there. Yusuf said that around 4pm that day, they left their worksite and Javid and his brother, Ikram, stopped at Goed Fortuin, WBD, where they drank some liquor.
Javid then told Ikram that he was going to cricket but did not say where, Yusuf said. This was after 8pm and Ikram returned home. Around 3am yesterday, they received a phone call from a relative saying that they should go to the Georgetown Hospital because Javid was there, Yusuf recounted. He said that he went to the hospital while his wife went to the Sparendaam Police Station.
The grieving man said that he saw one of Javid’s slippers at the hospital. “I keep hoping is not him,” he recalled. After it was confirmed that it was Javid, relatives returned to the police station.
Yusuf said that his son was found lying on the ground with a gaping wound to his right side chest. “He was stabbed,” he said. “He was catching thing to come home when he was stabbed.” Yusuf said he was told that there was an argument with someone over a girl. He also heard that there was a scuffle on the ground and “they run out behind this boy.” According to Yusuf, while his son’s working bag was found, no money was found and the jewellery he wore was missing. “He had nothing when the police find he,” he said. He added that the police had held one youth who had last seen Javid.
At the home yesterday, relatives were preparing for a wake. Yusuf recalled that his son played cricket and loved the game. “Anywhere cricket play, he does like it,” he said. Javid is survived by his parents, his brother and three sisters.
Javid did not deserve to die in that way, Yusuf said. He commended the police for their help and said that he hoped they would catch the killer. Police said that an autopsy will be done.
