By Frances Abraham and Alva Solomon
A 17-year-old student of the St. George’s Community High School was yesterday stabbed to death in what is believed to be a premeditated act by his classmate at Morgan’s Learning Centre, at the corner of John Street and Delph Avenue, Campbellville.
Shane George, of 143 Roxanne Burnham Gardens, was stabbed several times about the body. It is believed that the lad died of a gaping wound to the chest in the area of his heart. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital around 5:15pm. The alleged assailant, 18-year-old Akeem Roberts, was up to press time in police custody at the Kitty Police Station.
At the hospital, a large number of students gathered. According to one classmate, the two had an ongoing feud and George would constantly taunt Roberts about his clothing.
“This whole thing start because of brand name thing… is name brand got them fighting like that. The two of them always arguing or something but today Shane mess up the boy that stab him, tell him something bad and he just get angry,” the girl said glumly. She explained that the assailant pounced on George suddenly and dealt him several stabs as students stood by in a gaze, with one girl collapsing at the horrific sight.
“We saw him (the assailant) playing with a knife earlier in lesson when sir wasn’t around, a long knife. The next thing we know, I saw him on the ground and he deh stabbing de boy up,” she said. She added that many believed that a girl who had fainted was also stabbed as she was partially covered in blood but they later found out that it was George’s blood that had splattered on her. “She didn’t get stab, she faint after she see what happened and the blood from Shane pitch on her so it look like she get stab,” another friend who had witnessed the ordeal added.
The children along with relatives and other friends waited for sometime outside the Accident and Emergency Unit of the GPH and left only after the body was transported over to the hospital’s morgue. Loud wails and cries echoed through the compound as undertakers carried the body through the gates.
When Stabroek News visited the Kitty Police Station, many relatives of the deceased had gathered and waited outside as the accused was being questioned. Family members of George provided the police with statements as well.
A cousin related to this newspaper that they heard the news of the stabbing around 5:30pm and were asked to go to the GPH. They heard the news of the teen’s death upon arrival there. “We don’t know anything really. They only called and asked us to go to the hospital. We don’t know what happened,” one relative said.
She further stated that at the hospital she was able to view the motionless body of the lad and related that the wound to his chest was approximately seven inches. “You can tell the knife was big from the stab wound. It was big. That boy had to stab that child and ring the knife in him because it’s a big hole that left in his chest,” the woman said solemnly.
Ruler
A relative, who had just finished giving his statement, told Stabroek News that relatives saw the murder weapon when the police brought it out to be measured. He compared it to the 12-inch ruler that was used for measuring, explaining that it was an inch and a half longer than the measuring instrument. “That knife is 13 and half inches long. That is a kitchen knife. What is a school boy doing with a knife like that?” the man questioned.
At the murder site, a teacher of the learning institution told Stabroek News that George and his attacker were among a group of students who were awaiting the commencement of their class. He said that he was at the time teaching another class across the road at another building when the incident occurred.
He said that it was around 4:45pm that he heard a loud ruckus following which he saw several students in the yard and someone shouted “Shane get stab”.
According to an eyewitness, he was working at a building located a few doors away from the scene of the incident when he observed “a commotion by Sir Morgan lessons”. He said the two young men were engaged in a fight and they were soon parted by their colleagues.
“I drop what I was doing and run up the road to see what was the issue when I see this lil boy walk over from one yard to the other one and collect a long knife”. He said that the young man was being taunted as he walked into the yard where the incident occurred as several adults in the area called on the students to disperse from the scene.
“All I see is this boy walk in the yard with this knife and start firing stab like he head aint good”, the man stated adding that, ”if the others didn’t move …. more would get stab”. The man stated that the attacker later wrapped the knife in a plastic bag and walked up the road from the scene as others tried to place the injured George in a car to seek medical attention. According to the teacher, other students held onto the assailant until a police patrol arrived at the scene.
Talk
One of the boy’s colleagues told this newspaper at the scene that the attacker told his friends “that blood gat to run here today”. He said that when he was asked what he meant, the young man displayed the knife which he had wrapped in plastic and hidden in his bag. He said that the student related that he was going to “kill today because some people like talk”.
It was noted too that the incident occurred when the head of the institution “Sir Morgan“ was not at class.
A student who attends the institution told Stabroek News that on several occasions, small fights would occur at the scene and the students would sometime video the episode which is later debated among them.
This is the second fatal lessons stabbing in recent months. In February 27, 17 year old Anfernee Bowman was stabbed to death. The alleged attacker Samuel Cornelius also aged 17 was later charged with murder.
On the day in question at about 6:25pm both Bowman and Cornelius were leaving their math lessons located at Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt Park when they became involved in an altercation.
During the altercation a scuffle ensued between them and Bowman suffered several puncture wounds to his upper body, two of which penetrated his heart. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
After Bowman was taken to the hospital Cornelius fled the scene and went into hiding, but was subsequently taken to the Police Station where the allegation was put to him. He reportedly made a written statement under caution and following further investigations he was charged and placed before the court.
