A 41-year-old minibus driver was stabbed to death yesterday morning by a man who is said to be of unsound mind, a short distance from his Friendship, East Bank Demerara home.
The attacker who attempted to flee the scene in a mini-bus is in custody at the Grove Police Station assisting the police with their investigation.
Dead is Joel Savory, a father of three and a resident of Lot 37 Friendship, East Bank Demerara. The incident occurred on a property belonging to his mother and one that the suspect lived on with his parents.
A police press release said that they are investigating Savory’s murder which occurred at about 10:45 am at Harry’s Avenue, Friendship.
According to the release, investigations so far revealed that Savory was walking along the street when “he was confronted by the male suspect who is reportedly of unsound mind” and there was an exchange of words during which Savory was stabbed in the neck with a broken bottle.
He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he died while receiving medical attention.
Yesterday’s incident sent shockwaves through the East Bank community in which Savory grew up. When Stabroek News arrived on the scene last evening, bloodstains were still visible. Villagers said that the attacker would always threaten them and although the police were informed nothing was ever done. They believe that this incident was fuelled by the reports that were made to the police.
Many said that the man’s behaviour yesterday did not mirror that of a “madman”. This newspaper understands that after the stabbing, the suspect took away a bicycle from a child and sold it before boarding a minibus headed in the direction of Georgetown.
Persons from the community, who were aware of the incident, saw when the man jumped into the mini-bus and trailed it in a car with a view to alerting the driver.
Stabroek News was told that as the bus neared the corner where the Grove Police Station is located, the car was used to block its path and the driver was instructed to drive into the street to the police station.
At this point, villagers told this newspaper, the man jumped out of the bus and walked into the station without any resistance.
An eyewitness to the incident said that the property where the incident occurred is owned by Savory’s mother and a downstairs apartment of a house built on it was rented to the suspect’s parents. Following the incident, she said the parents seemed unmoved and they later left but have not yet returned.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said that sometime back, the man’s parents put him out of the house and he would usually sleep outside.
She told this newspaper that she heard the suspect’s voice in the yard and when she peeped out she saw Savory standing on the road (Harry’s Avenue). She recalled him saying “I come out of hospital for all a y’all because I know that y’all making report at the station for me”. The woman said that the suspect told Savory that he was ready for him and with that Savory scaled the fence.
She said that during this time, the suspect armed himself with a bottle and Savory with a piece of wood.
The eyewitness said that Savory tried to hit the bottle which was being fired in his direction but was unsuccessful and as such started to run. She reported that the suspect give chase, breaking the bottle on a nearby stair case before catching up with Savory at the front of the house, where he dealt him two stabs.
The woman said that as Savory lay on the ground bleeding, the suspect stood over him for five minutes before fleeing.
Savory leaves to mourn three children and his reputed wife Deion Thomas.
