1 dead, 1 hospitalised after street brawl turns deadly

By LaWanda McAllister

A father of three lost his life on Tuesday evening during a street brawl at Wortmanville, Georgetown. Reports are that the man was brutally stabbed by another man of the same community.

Dead is 40-year-old Aubrey Baird of 22 E Hardina Street, Wortmanville. He was stabbed to death by Bryan Matterson, a 46-year-old man of Princes Street, Wortmanville, who has since been hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was beaten by residents following the murder.
Reports are that on Tuesday around 21:00h, the two men started fighting; however, it was not clear what led to the confrontation.
When Guyana Times visited the scene, this publication was told that during the fight, Baird allegedly hit the suspect with a piece of wood, and in return the suspect stabbed him multiple times to his chest. However, family members said at the time of the stabbing, Baird was intoxicated and was unable to defend himself.
After stabbing Baird, the suspect reportedly jumped onto his bicycle and attempted to ride away from the scene, but was apprehended by public-spirited citizens and given a sound beating.

Baird was taken to the hospital where he was admitted, but died while receiving medical attention.
Meanwhile, the man’s reputed wife, 23-year-old Devon Grandison told this publication said the clothes vendor was hanging out with friends when the incident occurred.
“He came home, he eat, he was down here liming with his friends… they said some man pass and he [the suspect] feel offended that they were laughing…I don’t know what transpired because I was in my bed. I heard some say Aubrey get jook up, and when I run downstairs, the two of them were in the trench fighting. It’s like Aubrey didn’t even realise that he get jook and so much,” the tearful woman said.

Grandison said her husband was a great father to his children, and he was taken away from them by his heartless killer. She said while persons were alleging that the man was from the community, she has never seen her husband’s killer before. She related that her reputed husband had many plans to give his children a better life. According to her, he was already trying to renovate their home, and was going to finish it this year.
“…that was his goal for this year, and give his children a better life than he had. It wasn’t easy for him growing up. From the age of 10, he had to start working and now he died at 40,” the woman said, unable to hold back her tears.
Baird had sold clothes for the past 13 years in the vendors’ arcade in Georgetown to maintain his family. His reputed wife said she was now thinking about how she was going to make ends meet since her husband was the sole breadwinner of their family.
“This is really hard… now he is gone I don’t know what to do… I can’t say what is my next move for now,” she said.
As such, the grieving woman has called on the Police to conduct a thorough investigation, since she needs justice for her reputed husband.

Nuisance
Residents in the area told this publication that the suspect has been a nuisance for years. Jermaine Eastman said that the suspect had stabbed a man just recently, which almost resulted in him losing his life.
“He stabbed a man at Sweet Point …. an old lady was passing the other day and he spit on the woman. If you look at him, he always threatening to kill you…,” the man said.
The suspect who is said to have a “mental issue” is also being accused of killing his biological brother in 2015. In an interview with another section of the media, the suspect’s brother said that the man has been threatening members of his family for years.

“He tell we he gone put all ah we in the burial ground, just like he put Mario [the suspect’s dead brother] in the burial ground…this is not no surprise to me, because this banna always threatening to kill…”, the suspect’s brother said.
In 2019, the suspect was remanded to prison on an attempted murder charge, which stemmed from his alleged stabbing of his neighbour.
It was alleged that on September 27, 2019 at Princes Street, Wortmanville, he stabbed his neighbour, Ronald Bettencourt with intent to commit murder.
The suspect was previously charged with assaulting the same neighbour.