By Shaquawn Gill
A Mahaica fisherman was knifed to death on Wednesday after an argument with neighbours who threw bricks at his home.
Zahir Ali, 40, of Lot 78 Mosquito Hall, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, sustained what appeared to be stab wounds to the left side of his chest and another to the abdomen.
According to a Guyana Police Force statement, around 7:20pm on Wednesday, the two suspects stoned Ali’s house, resulting in an argument between the men. The suspects allegedly then pulled Ali into their yard, dealt him several blows and stabbed him about his body.
Shortly after, Ali was seen fleeing the premises drenched in blood. He was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
By yesterday afternoon, both suspects were in police custody.
When Stabroek News visited Ali’s home yesterday morning, a large crowd had gathered and police were seen sometime after attempting to disperse it due to COVID-19 measures.
Radika Ali, the niece of the deceased, told this newspaper that the suspects were always known to be troublemakers in the community. “These guys is gang up over the road and smoking and drinking whole day every day and mekking trouble with people in this street hay,” she said.
Other members of the community have claimed that the men are always involved in drug use and other illegal activities.
According to Radika, her uncle was at a small wedding reception to have a few drinks, and he returned home peacefully. After his return, however, the suspects decided to “pelt bricks” at his house. “After he come outside, them pull he and beat he and by the time I reach, I saw him lying in a pool of blood and he was panting for breath,” she explained.
Radika also mentioned that when they took him to the hospital he was still alive, but died a short while after.
Radika also mentioned that their neighbours were always instigating problematic situations, highlighting that they had physically assaulted her uncle a while ago. “They beat him before and buss up he lip, mek he had to go get 5 or 6 stitches,” she explained.
She stated that the matter had been before the court, but the mother of one of the suspects begged the now dead man to drop the case against her son, and offered to pay for his medical expenses. She noted that her uncle agreed to drop the charges, but refused to take any money from the mother.
One of the suspects was taken into custody yesterday morning. Radika said her family paid some of the members of the community to find the other, who was hiding not too far from the scene of the crime in a clump of bushes. He was captured yesterday afternoon and taken into police custody.
The relatives are imploring the Guyana Police Force to do their work swiftly, so that they can obtain justice for Zahir. “All we want is justice because my uncle [Zahir] didn’t deserve to die like that. He is a quiet man and never had no problems with nobody in this community other than them boys over there who took his life for no reason,” his niece said.
Zahir Ali is survived by his wife and four children.
