Using his hand to block a chop aimed at his head may have saved the life of a Sophia man when his neighbour of 15 years attacked him with a cutlass following an argument over a beer.
Rasheed Khan, a labourer of Sophia, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday afternoon after he was chopped to the hand. Khan, his reputed wife Annie Dass told Stabroek News, was taken to the hospital around 1 pm and remained in theatre up to 6 pm last evening.
Khan, the distressed woman said, lost a lot of blood and would most likely be admitted a patient to the hospital after his surgery. His attacker has since been taken into police custody and Dass stressed that they will be pressing charges.
“I was at work when this thing happened but my daughter was at home and she told me the whole story,” Dass said.
Just before noon yesterday, the woman said, her reputed husband was having a few beers in front of their house and called out to his neighbour to join him. The man then proceeded to Khan’s gate where the two, Dass said she’d learnt, began talking.
Khan, according to the woman, offered his neighbour a beer which the man subsequently refused and an argument ensued. The neighbour, Dass said, was holding a cutlass at the time and attacked her husband.
“My daughter told me she heard the arguing and went outside just as [the neighbour] was chopping my husband,” Dass said, “and she started to scream.”
The woman further told this newspaper that she’d learnt from other witnesses that the chop was aimed at her husband’s head and had he not used his hand to block the blow it could have been fatal.
Her daughter’s screams, Dass further said, alerted other neighbours who came rushing out. At this point her husband’s attacker calmly went back to his yard. The matter was reported to the Sophia police station shortly after, the woman said.
The attacker, according to her, was in police custody up to late last evening.
“I mean fine, my husband was having a few drinks and he offered this sober man one and they argued but you going to chop a man for something like that,” the woman said.
Khan, she further told this newspaper, who is a labourer depends on his arms to get his work done and she is worried about what will happen to their family now. The weight of caring for the household will be entirely on her shoulders, she said.
