Leroy Cornelius, the 20-year-old man found dead from a gunshot wound at Moblissa, had been heard drinking and planning with friends to `finish’ 57-year-old Zeerapen John who was able to fire the fatal shot at Cornelius during the eventual attack.
According to one of Cornelius’ sisters, Veronica Griffith, they were informed that her brother was in the company of a few friends, one of whom is the cousin of John who was severely chopped about the body by the group of men.
Recounting what was related to her, Griffith said that during their smoking and drinking spree on Sunday a man called Totaram was in a rage, hurling threatening remarks at John that he was going to kill him.
“According to what the man told us Totaram accused him (John) of working obeah on his father some years ago which caused him to die.”
This was also confirmed by John yesterday from his hospital bed. While under the watch of police at the Linden Hospital Complex John told Stabroek News that the issue of being accused of killing the father of his cousin was an old one and had escalated last Thursday with constant threats and taunts by his relative and his friends while at his Moblissa Farm.
Recounting Sunday night’s encounter John said that he was sitting on the veranda and Cornelius and his friends were drinking and smoking and hurling threats at him. The man said that he paid the men no heed. “I left and went around to the back of the yard to the toilet and when I was coming back to go to the house I heard the dogs barking so I shine the torchlight in two directions and didn’t see anything or anyone.” He said that as he was about to enter his house the men pounced on him.
“I had meh gun and deh torchlight in meh hand and after deh attack I fire a shot and it hit one of them.”
He recollected that it was after he had fired the round that one of the men choked him from behind and his cousin dealt him several chops about the body. “I had to play dead or deh wodda kill me, I kinda drop mehself to de ground and hold meh gun under meh head and play dead.”
The man said that he recalled bearing the pain of several blows while on the ground in order to convince the men that he was dead.
After they fled the scene dragging the wounded Cornelius away, the man said that he crawled to his cell phone and called his family in Georgetown. “My son answer and a tell he how deh killing meh in hay.” With that his son called a neighbour in Moblissa who went to the man’s aid.
Relatives of Cornelius said that they were informed by the farmer who rescued John that they had stopped police on Sunday night and informed them of the shooting incident. “From what we understand, the police like they went to the area and didn’t see anything and they came back to Totaram dem and asked if they hear of any shooting and were told no and so they didn’t follow-up,” related Griffith. Police at Linden could not be reached yesterday to confirm this story.
Sometime after 8:00pm the family of Cornelius was contacted and told that their brother was killed and his body was at the Linden Hospital. This was confirmed shortly after when they visited the institution.
They said that they last saw their brother on Friday. According to another sister Oneeka Griffith, Leroy in the company of Totaram and a few other friends visited their 2834 Central Amelia’s Ward home last Friday night around 10pm when they discussed his plan to return home for his birthday celebrations. “My brother woulda be celebrating his 21st birthday on Thursday and now we have to keep wake fuh he on that day instead,” sobbed his sisters. His mother Vernel Cornelius said that she last saw her son sometime after 5:00pm on Friday.
She said that he and the same friends were in motor car HB 7030, which he was in when he visited his sisters’ home and that same car was with them on Sunday at Moblissa.
Constantly breaking down in tears, she added that it was sad that her son’s friends abandoned him after the incident leaving him to bleed to death. “We understand from Totaram’s brother that he did make contact with his brother and he pleaded with him to come home to Linden and he tell he, he can’t come.” The brother is currently in police custody at the Mackenzie Police Station assisting with investigations.
“We got to get justice for our brother because Mr. John said that it was Totaram who chop he up and not we brother. Till now nobody en tell we exactly where deh find he, we only hearing bits and pieces.”
They said that their brother’s girlfriend who lived with him at Moblissa had begged her mother to come for her last Thursday since Leroy and his friends were behaving outrageously and planning to ‘finish’ John.
