Bar fight turns deadly among cousins at Golden Grove

A 55-year-old fisherman lost his life late Sunday night after a violent altercation at a bar along the Golden Grove Public Road, East Coast Demerara.
Dead is Elton Lilly, called “Daddy,” of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara. The fatal incident occurred at about 23:05h on Sunday, at a bar in the community where Lilly and the 49-year-old suspect were reportedly imbibing alcohol.

Reports are that the two men, who were known to each other and are believed by some community sources to be cousins, became involved in an altercation inside the establishment.
During the confrontation, it is alleged that the suspect armed himself with a knife and stabbed Lilly multiple times about his body. Lilly collapsed at the scene and was later found lying in a pool of blood with visible wounds when ranks arrived.
A knife, suspected to be the murder weapon, was recovered in the vicinity of the bar and has since been taken by police as evidence. Emergency Medical Technicians responded to the scene, but Lilly was pronounced dead.
His body was later identified by a male relative and transported to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.
The suspect, a 49-year-old security guard of South Haslington, East Coast Demerara, was arrested shortly after the incident and remains in police custody as investigations continue.

Restraining order
While a clear motive for the killing has not yet been shared with the media, it was reported that the two men had a history of disputes prior to Sunday night’s fatal confrontation, and the suspect had recently taken out a restraining order against Lilly.
Court reports indicate that Lilly had previously been before the courts in relation to a fatal stabbing that occurred in 2014 in Berbice. In that matter, he was charged following the death of 52-year-old Lakeram Singh after an altercation while both were drinking alcohol.
It was reported that the men knew each other and were drinking at a shop near the Fish Port Complex at No. 66 Village, Corentyne, when an argument ensued. Singh subsequently armed himself with a cutlass and reportedly chopped Lilly on his hand.
Lilly in turn, grabbed a knife and allegedly stabbed Singh about his body. The man was stabbed to his face, head and back. Singh collapsed and was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon hospital where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.
Lilly had escaped from the scene but was arrested and remanded to prison. A post mortem examination that was performed on Singh’s body concluded that he died from shock and haemorrhage due to stab wounds.
Five years after the incident, Lilly pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The time he spent on remand was deducted, and he was recently freed from prison.
Investigations into Sunday night’s killing are ongoing.