Hours after he was allegedly attacked by a fellow inmate at the Lusignan Prison, a 40-year-old Kitty man succumbed at a city hospital yesterday morning.
Dead is Victor Soomaru, a taxi driver of Lot 85 Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown, while his attacker has been identified as the accused in a recent killing that was carried out in a similar manner.
Soomaru was remanded to prison on Monday after he was charged with allegedly trafficking 1.959 kilogrammes of cannabis.
In a press statement, Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliott yesterday confirmed the fatal attack, which took place around 9.05 pm on Thursday.
At the time, Soomaru and three other prisoners, including his assailant, were housed in Unit #1, which is referred to as the quarantine section of the facility since it houses new prisoners.
Elliott explained that officers responded to an alarm that was raised by inmates of Unit #1 and it was reported that Soomaru was struck with a piece of brick wrapped in a towel while he was asleep.
Soomaru was immediately escorted to the prison infirmary, where he was treated and later referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). He succumbed while received medical attention around 10.30am yesterday.
A police investigation has since been launched and Elliott said the suspect has been relocated in the interim.
The suspect, Kareem Stewart, was recently remanded to prison after he was charged with murdering Mark Benjamin, a vagrant, who was bludgeoned to death with a brick while he slept on a pavement at Camp and Robb streets on January 27th, 2020.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that during questioning, the suspect reportedly told the police that the attack stemmed from Soomaru allegedly trying to poison him.
The suspect said that he picked up a brick, wrapped it in a towel and hit Soomaru several times to his head while he was sleeping.
He then attempted to attack the other prisoners but by that time the prison officers were alerted and they managed to disarm him.
When Stabroek News visited the dead man’s home yesterday, relatives who had gathered expressed anger at his unexpected death.
His mother, Rita Soomaru, explained to this newspaper that her son related to her that his arrest was a “set up”. “I don’t know wah went on but all he tell me, he seh ‘Ma, this is a set up and when I come out I will tell you wah happen’,” Rita said.
Chopped
While authorities are claiming that Victor was beaten with a brick, Rita said that the injuries about his body, particularly his head, shows that he was severely chopped.
Rita explained that she only learnt about the attack around 9am yesterday after receiving a call from the prison, which alerted her that Victor was hospitalised.
She said she asked the caller for details about what happened but was told that she had to visit the Guyana Prison Service headquarters for that information.
She noted that when she arrived at the hospital, Victor was on a life support machine. “He was dead already… They were just waiting for me to take him off. All his head was chopped up,” she added.
She further stated that while at the hospital she met with a doctor, who also told her Victor’s injuries suggested that he was chopped. “The doctor sent to call me outside. When he called he said he [Victor] was chopped up in his head and the chop is brutal, that it is deep into the skull. He said investigate this matter thoroughly, that this is a serious matter, don’t take it lightly,” Rita explained.
Additionally, Rita said that she learnt that Victor was taken to the hospital until 4am yesterday, hours after the attack took place. “…When we find out what time was admission time, that’s the time they took him there and they called me ’til around 9 o’clock today to tell me what happen to me son,” she said.
As a result, Rita is calling for justice. She said she will not rest until she is provided with answers as to what led to her son’s death.
“I want answers because it don’t look good… I am not taking this easy. It don’t add up — what the prison is saying,” Rita said.
