Five men are now in police custody following the murder on Monday of Munaf Azeez, a 26-year-old fisherman of Lot 49 Sea View, Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara.
A police release yesterday stated that one of the suspects arrested is a 28-year-old fisherman and owner of several fishing boats of Sea Dam, Parika, who was seen running towards his car PLL 4734 after the stabbing. As he approached his car, a police mobile patrol which was in the area arrested him. He identified the other suspects in the stabbing attack.
Police investigations have so far revealed that around 07:55 hours on Monday, five men approached Azeez at the Anna Catherina Sea Wall and accused him of chopping up their seine. One of the men was armed with a cutlass and another with a knife. An argument ensued and the suspect with the knife dealt Azeez one stab to the lower right side of his chest. Azeez ran a short distance before collapsing to the ground. The suspects then fled the scene.
Relatives of Azeez picked him up and placed him in a police patrol vehicle. He was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 08:40 hours by a doctor. Incensed residents of the neighbourhood then threw the suspect’s car into a nearby gutter and set it on fire. The car was destroyed.
Nazim Azeez, a cousin of the victim, told Stabroek News that at approximately 08:30 am Monday an argument ensued between Munaf Azeez and seven fishermen. He said upon seeing this he rushed to the scene which was six house lots away. “After me see he ah argue me stand up six houses away and he ah row, row. Me lef and walk to see wah the problem about.” Nazim related that while he was walking towards his cousin to ask what was the problem, his cousin was stabbed in the stomach. “One ah them boy pull out a knife, grabble he and ketch he at the stomach corner. When I see all the blood I know it was serious. He give two hiccups and he dead in meh hand”, the cousin said.
According to Nazim, it was Munaf’s brother-in-law and not Munaf who was the intended victim. “Them man stab de wrong man, the brother-in-law was the man that they wanted. Then after the stabbing them man saying is de wrong man them stab. The brother-in-law seh is he them come for”, the cousin said. The man said that the family is demanding justice. “If he and them had problem and it was he them want, well then that would ah be something else but fuh know that he nah had no problem with them and them kill he. We want justice because ah the brother-in-law them did want. Even when them ah walk way them ah seh wrong man them bore deh”, the cousin said.
The body was photographed and escorted to Ezekiel Funeral Parlour; a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted today.
