The family of a 16-year-old boy was plunged into a state of mourning after he was stabbed to death on Monday at Hogg Street and Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, Georgetown.
Dead is Isaiah Smith, also known called “Six” of Middle Road La Penitence, Georgetown.
Police stated that on the day in question at about 14:55h, the now dead young man and others were sitting on a bench in close proximity to the suspect’s dwelling place. The 45-year-old man reportedly asked the teenagers to remove but the victim refused.
This resulted in an altercation between the suspect and the teenager. It was during the argument that the suspect whipped out a knife and stabbed the victim in the left upper abdomen. The injured young man reportedly ran a short distance on Independence Boulevard before he collapsed.
Dead: Isaiah Smith
Smith was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital by a taxi driver and a Rural Constable attached to Ruimveldt Police Station, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Crime Scene Unit ranks have since apprehended the suspect and the alleged murder weapon has been recovered. He remains in custody as investigations are in progress.
However, at the scene on Monday evening, several teens told Guyana Times that they were sitting at a small wooden shop, owned by Frazer, on Independence Boulevard, when the man accused them of waking him up.
They stated that he came out of the shop and began ordering them to leave so that he could get some rest. Smith, who refused, reportedly confronted the suspect and questioned his manner of approach to him and his friends thus resulting in a heated argument.
In retaliating, the suspect stabbed the teen once in his abdomen. The other teenagers related that the injured young man walked a short distance before collapsing in front of a local game shop where he began yelling for the help.
The dead teen’s father, Junior Smith, stated that the suspect followed his injured son while he was struggling for his life and continued stabbing him.
Eyewitnesses posited that it is not the first time that the two have been in an altercation. The suspect is known for his disdain towards the teens in the community. In a video shown to this publication, the suspect was heard hurling death treats at the young teens.
The now dead teenager attended the East Ruimveldt Secondary but dropped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and worked with small contractors in the community. Prior, he was a barber.
“He isn’t going to school right now, because after the COVID. When school started, he wasn’t going to school. He was working part-time with these guys who have construction work. He went to spend some time in the bush but he wasn’t making any money. He came back, but I do be taking care of him,” Isaiah’s father said.
Isaiah resided with his father and two siblings. His father, a single parent, earns a living by barbering and selling doubles.
Isaiah’s father related that the suspect usually engages in confrontations with others in the community, but always gets off, allegedly, due to him presenting his “mad certificate” to the authorities.
He said that prior to the incident with his son, sometime before, the suspect had allegedly assaulted someone in the community with a hammer. The family is calling for justice.
“It’s shocking to me,” the father related, “Life goes on. It’s shocking to lose a son. I just need justice for my son,” the heartbroken father said.
