A 19-year-old student of the Government Technical Institute (GTI) succumbed at a city hospital yesterday, days after he was beaten and robbed by a group of men in the vicinity of the Route 45 bus park.
Dead is Samuel Grannum of Lot 19 Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
Reports are that the attack occurred around 3 pm last Friday while Grannum was liming at the bus park with a friend. He succumbed around 1.35 pm yesterday at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
Commander of Region 4A, Simon McBean confirmed that the incident was reported to the police. He said that a press release would be issued. However, up to press time there was no word from the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Corporate Communications Unit on the attack.
During an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, the dead teen’s aunt, Marcia Grannum said that Grannum was brutally beaten about his body shortly after his friend told him to ‘run’.
“…He was sitting with a friend. According to the friend, he heard something. I don’t know what he heard but he said to my nephew ‘Grannum run’. So my nephew like he was shock. He didn’t know why he was running. So the friend ran and the guys, they caught up with both of them (Samuel and his friend). He (friend) got his (injuries) on his hand and my nephew (Samuel), they surrounded him,” Marcia explained.
According to Marcia, the family is not sure what might have led to the attack. They don’t have any information on who the suspects are either. “….I heard was a gang of them and they start beating him. I heard they had baseball bat, hockey stick, wood, bottles and they beat him to the ground. All in his head and he was left there,” she told this newspaper.
She explained that the family has been hearing that the incident might have stemmed from Samuel having reportedly “beat up” someone from GTI.
However, enquiries from the institution revealed that Samuel was never involved in any fight, Marcia said. “When we enquire from the teachers and the principal, they said no he never got into any fight… It is not true,” she declared.
Marcia believes that her nephew might have been a victim of mistaken identity. “We think it is mistaken identity because one student was saying apparently there was a fight between some school guy and some student from GTI but my nephew wasn’t at school for that two days…..They said he wasn’t there so we won’t know,” she related.
It is believed that the suspects mistook Samuel for the person who was involved in that fight and launched the attack. “…It is not so…From knowing he is never ever in any problem at any school,” Marcia.
The suspects allegedly escaped with some of Samuel’s belongings including the cash he had in his possession, his watch and slippers.
Crouched
Marcia said Samuel was left on the road to die. It was a public-spirited citizen who summoned an ambulance for Samuel to be transported to the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal.
“Upon arrival there in the ambulance, according to the police, I can’t remember his name, the police said that he delivered the child (Samuel) over to the doctor. Who is the doctor we don’t know,” Marcia said.
The family was also informed. Marcia told Stabroek News, that Samuel’s father arrived at the hospital at about 6.25pm. “When he got there, my nephew was crouched in a wheelchair. No attention was given. So he was sitting there,” she said.
Almost two hours passed and after enquiring what was causing the delay, Marcia said the family was informed that there were eight patients in front of Samuel.
“….They said to my brother that he got to wait. At 7.30, my sister-in-law went back to them and asked them what is happening? The child is holding his head and crouching and they said to her there is eight persons in front of my nephew and he has to wait,” Marcia explained.
Marcia said the teen eventually lost consciousness. “With that my nephew went unconscious…He never regained consciousness. No medical attention was given to my nephew. The last words he said to his father was ‘my head is hurting’ and he never regained consciousness,” she said.
Samuel did not receive medical attention until around 8 pm when he was taken to the St Joseph Mercy Hospital by his father.
“When we told the doctor of his injuries, we didn’t know but we told him of the blows he would have received and they start running emergency tests and so on,” Marcia said.
“Then is when we found out that his brain was damaged to some extent. He sustained a fractured skull. His skull was fractured in two places. His ribs I think was broken and his body was severely battered. You could see all the marks how they hit him and he’s very slim mind you….Very little for 19-year-old,” she explained.
Justice
The family is demanding justice.
Marcia said she is not satisfied with the pace of the police investigation. “I am telling you I am so disappointed with the way the investigation is going. I need justice for my nephew,” she told Stabroek News.
Marcia explained that she initially went to the Stabroek Market outpost to report the attack and she was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department.
“When we went to the police outpost at Stabroek, the treatment was not nice. They send the family…They said we need to go CID and make a report. When we went to CID, the CID officer said ‘why did you come here?’ They did nothing to help us. I don’t even know whatever they wrote in that book Friday night, I don’t even know if they write anything at all,” she related.
The report was taken at the Brickdam police station on Saturday.
Marcia said the detective promised to follow up with the family but up to yesterday there was no word. “We didn’t get a single call. We don’t know what is happening,” she said.
She said she even visited the scene but was unable to get any useful information. “Everybody keep saying they don’t know because they had to run because the gang was too big. So we didn’t get anything,” she said.
The family is hoping that the police will review surveillance footage from the area which would aid with the investigation.
They are also pleading with anyone who may have any information that may lead to the identification of the suspects to come forward.
