A Boxing Day disagreement ended tragically on Old Year’s Night when an Ann’s Grove man was attacked and stabbed to death by former friends.
Errol Campbell, 33, a welder of the East Coast Demerara village, died at the Georgetown Public Hospital early New Year’s Day after he was rushed there hours before with a number of stab wounds.
The men who allegedly committed the act, reportedly 18 and 17 years old and also from Ann’s Grove, were subsequently taken into police custody.
According to Campbell’s younger sister, Shondell Jones, she and her brother had been heading home after buying food when they were approached by a young man on a bicycle along with another youth. At first, the young woman said, her brother did not realize that the men approaching them were known to him.
“We didn’t see the boy at first when he come ’cause we went talking and we didn’t focusing pon de front,” she said. She went on, “He jump off the bicycle and ask Bakey, ‘is me you ah look fuh?’”
It was then, she said, that the young man pulled out a knife and stabbed her brother. “He just pull out the thing, hold he [Campbell] up and stab him up.”
By then, the stabber’s accomplice had joined them and attempted to assist his friend with a large brick. However, Jones said she intercepted and held the second man back. The men then escaped, leaving Campbell to die on the street, mere minutes from his home.
After he was stabbed, a public-spirited citizen transported Campbell to the public road where his father was at the time. In turn, Campbell’s father rushed the injured man to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). He subsequently passed away while receiving medical treatment.
The confrontation allegedly stemmed from a dispute that had happened days before on December 26. According to reports, Campbell and his attackers had been at a party when the men got into an argument. The next day the men reportedly attacked him.
Campbell managed to escape that fight with minor injuries but soon afterward the stabber allegedly posted to his Facebook account that he would kill Campbell.
Relatives of the dead man expressed shock at the stabbing despite the open threat.
One sister explained to Stabroek News that the attackers were not only known to Campbell but were distantly related to him.
“We were shocked when we hear that he got stabbed; I mean, they [the attackers] look like they could do it, yes, but we never expected that they would,” Suean, another of Campbell’s sisters, said.
“He just stab me brother just so and say he gon’ end it now,” Jones added.
According to a police press release, one of the suspects had been arrested and was in police custody assisting with investigations. Campbell’s relatives confirmed this information and added that the other youth had been apprehended by the police hours after his accomplice.
They further revealed that one of the young men had been arrested at his home while the other had been caught as he was heading to Suriname.
Furthermore, a post-mortem examination (PME) was scheduled to be conducted yesterday but was cancelled and postponed to Wednesday. Campbell’s mother explained that government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh had fallen ill and previously scheduled PMEs had to be performed before that of her son.
Campbell was born and brought up in Ann’s Grove and had no children. He was described as an easygoing person who was not “warrish. He’s not no fight up person and he never liked no problem,” Jones said.
Campbell’s death was one of three stabbing murders the police were investigating as the New Year broke. Augustine Samuels, 52, of Aracru NWD was stabbed and killed on December 31 in Aracru by his drinking partner.
Andre Britton, 50, of 111 Miles Mahdia, Potaro was also stabbed to death in Mahdia on New Year’s Day. According to the police, Britton had earlier confronted his alleged stabber for throwing squibs into his yard and the man later returned and stabbed him about his body.