Haslington fatal stabbing: Suspect allegedly attacked victim earlier, but weapon was taken away – eyewitnesses

– Police yet to make arrest

Forty-two-year-old Eric Fraser, also called ’50 Cent’, a construction worker of Lot 162 Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD), who was stabbed to death by his friend on Thursday evening, was attacked by the suspect earlier in the day with a knife, according to eyewitnesses.
Police, in their report, stated that the incident occurred at around 19:35h, while the now-dead man was hanging out at a popular hangout spot not far from his home.
It was reported that Fraser left his home at about 16:00h and went to a local barbershop, which also served as a gathering spot for friends. Eyewitnesses said an argument ensued between the now-deceased man and the suspect, who took out a weapon and dealt the deceased a stab to his left-side groin. Fraser allegedly ran about 200 feet before he collapsed. He was picked up by EMT from Melanie Fire Station and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

However, when Guyana Times visited the scene, eyewitnesses disclosed that the suspect and the now-dead man were friends, and were heard arguing earlier in the day. They said they do not know what led to that argument.
However, the suspect, known as ‘Pokeye’, attempted to stab the now-dead man during the argument, but Frazer managed to take away the weapon.
“They were arguing earlier in the afternoon, and Pokeye go to stab he, but he take away the knife from him and give him back, because they are friends. He didn’t think anything. He does go by Eric and Eric does give he food and anything he ask for. They live next to each other”, the eyewitness said.
The eyewitness further explained that the argument had stopped, and the men, along with their friends, were at the barber shop when Fraser left, but later returned.
“Eric went home, bathe and come back, and they were making rough jokes, and Pokeye was preparing to go to work, and he stab him and run away…all I see, Eric start running…he run from where he get stabbed and run straight in the yard, and he fall down…a girl see he get stab and call out to everybody and she run behind him”, the eyewitness said.
“There was no blood, so that means that he was bleeding internally. When I go in the yard, he started telling we he want water, and we told him, ‘No’, we have to take him to the hospital. We call the ambulance, and the ambulance take long to come. We put him in a taxi, and while going, they see the ambulance and tried stopping it, but it did not stop. They had to wait till it come back, and then they take him to Nabaclis Health Center, where he die”.
Up until press time on Friday, the suspect had not been arrested. However, one of his relatives (the suspect) related that he did make contact with them, but did not disclose his whereabouts.
“He just keep saying he will commit suicide, but he did not say where he was”, they said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, Julie Frazer, explained that her son was living in Suriname, and came back to Guyana only about two months ago. She said she told him not to go back, and to stay at the house in Haslington.
The grieving woman said it was only on Monday that she went to spend some time with her son, and overnighted with him. On Thursday evening, while at home in Beterverwagting, ECD, she received a call from her friend informing her that something terrible had happened to her son.
“The person call and ask if I hear what happened to Eric, that he get stabbed; and 10 minutes later, they call me back and tell me that he died. I left home and I come, and when I come, they already move his body. The Police took me to the hospital, and when I go in, he was lying on the stretcher holding the part where he was stabbed. I just started crying for my baby…there was no blood”, the tearful woman said.
She added that while details on how her son met his demise are still sketchy, she was told that ‘rough jokes’ are what had led to the stabbing.
“There was no fight, no scuffle, nothing. He just stabbed him… Eric was so nice, and always smiling… I need justice for my son, I need justice”, she said. (LaWanda McAllister)