Police investigators are in search of a man who was seen fighting with Lionel Bert Whyte minutes before he collapsed in front of a popular Main Street hangout spot with stab wounds to his body.
Stabroek News understands that police have so far found one eyewitness who recalled seeing two men fighting in Whyte’s car. The car was parked a short distance from where Whyte collapsed on Monday night. Finding the car would be a big breakthrough for sleuths.
According to a source, the man had related that he was passing when he noticed two persons in the car fighting.
Moments later, the source said, the witness saw Whyte jump out of the car and start running. When he collapsed, the witness said, the man began hollering for help.
Based on what this eyewitness saw, during the quarrel, Whyte was in the front passenger seat, while his attacker was in the driver’s seat. After Whyte would have exited his car; the attacker drove off in the vehicle.
The source said the eyewitness was detained on Tuesday after he was heard relating what he had seen to another man. The other man was also detained. They were released after a few hours.
Stabroek News understands that the police are still questioning persons to try and ascertain what exactly transpired in the moments leading up to Whyte’s death.
Last evening, his sister Mary said she had heard nothing new from the police.
A post-mortem examination (PME) yesterday gave the cause of death as perforation of the heart and lungs due to stab wounds. The PME was performed by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh.
Based on the timeline given to this newspaper, Whyte, 45, of 79 Phoenix Park, West Bank Demerara, left his Robb and Hinck streets office sometime after 6 pm in his car. Around 8 pm, he collapsed in front of the nightspot five corners from his workplace.
Persons in the area where he was found said they had never seen him there before.
Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell had said that investigators suspected several persons and that plans were being made to arrest them.
Asked about a motive, Brumell said it was not clear but from all indications “it is not robbery” since Whyte’s money and a gold ring were intact when he collapsed on Main Street. He said the man’s car, PKK 8566, remained missing.
An official of the popular nightspot had said that the man ran out of Hope Street. He later ended up in front of the nightspot bleeding profusely.
From all indications, Whyte was stabbed in Hope Street and ran to escape his attacker. No one recalled seeing any suspicious car driving past him before he collapsed on the roadway.
The official said that the wounded man handed his cell phone and a bunch of keys to an employee of the nightspot and said “Call meh family” before collapsing on the roadway.
A taxi was immediately summoned and Whyte was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Whyte was the assistant company secretary and assistant human resources manager at GTM, as well as an actor and member of the West Demerara Lions Club.
Investigations are continuing.
