The assailant in the killing of a Hosanna Street, Rosignol, West Bank Berbice teenager has been taken into custody.
Shelton ‘Buju’ Joseph, 19, died nine days after the attack at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) after he was taken off the life-support machine. He was struck on his forehead and left eye with a piece of wood.
His mother, Sandra Joseph said even though the 26-year-old attacker is locked up,
that cannot erase the deep pain she is feeling.
“He may be behind bars but at least he is still alive. I lost my son and I am still empty and nothing can fill me up again,” the woman wept. She is nevertheless, looking for justice to be served.
Joseph was rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital in an unconscious state. He was then transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital in an ambulance and then to the GPH. He never regained consciousness.
His mother said his mouth was twisted and his “right eye pulp out.” While being taken to the hospital he was “jumping like a fish and his fingers fold like when people have strokes.” He continued like that until they reached the GPH.
The results from the post-mortem examination proved that the he died from cerebral haemorrhage due to blunt trauma.
She said he did not deserve what was done to him because all he was trying to do was rescue his close friend, Kevin who was involved in a fight with the attacker.
She said he put his friend on his bicycle to tow him away when the man came from behind and lashed him. He fell on the road and the man began to swing the wood at Kevin, telling him “ah gon kill you tuh.”
Kevin who got up and escaped has become sick due to his friend’s demise. “I am asking every day why he couldn’t lash my son on his hands or feet…” she lamented.
Sandra said her son, a part-time labourer at the fisheries, left home around 5 am on September 27. Around 5:45 am someone called to say that he was lying dead on the road in front of the fisheries.
The teen’s grandfather saw the crowd and the commotion but did not realize it was his grandson until he “bore through the crowd.” He then broke down and started to bawl.
Sandra’s sister who lives close to the scene ran to investigate and noticed that he was still breathing. Persons threw water on him but he did not revive.
She lamented that while her son was hospitalized the attacker had reportedly gone into hiding. A farmer gave a statement to the police that he dropped him in the backdam the same morning but the police made no effort to find him.
Instead, they locked up Joseph’s male relatives and “put them to weed the Hopetown ground for the police gymkhana.” In all our grievances, she said, the police did not show any respect to the family.
