Councillor on the Georgetown Mayor and City Council Kyle Solomon was on Wednesday morning stabbed to death by a 16-year-old who attempted to break into a shop he operated outside of his home at D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown.
Forty-seven-year-old Solomon was killed at around 04:00h and the suspect is said to be a school dropout from the community.
Dead: Kyle Solomon
Solomon, originally from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) lived alone at D’Urban Backlands, where he also operated a small business. According to a police report, the man spotted the teenager trying to gain entry into his shop. As such, he raised an alarm, causing the suspect to flee. Solomon pursued him and an argument ensued between them.
Police said during the confrontation, the teenager pulled a knife from his pants waist and stabbed Solomon multiple times—once in the chest, lower abdomen, left rib, left arm, and left elbow. The councillor collapsed while the suspect ran from the scene. The man was later pronounced dead. Solomon’s murder has since shockwaves throughout his constituency.
One of his neighbours Carmelita Collins, said that this was the second time in the week since the individual went to rob the shop.
“On Thursday, me and my daughter were coming through the track around five in the morning, and she turn and say ‘Mommy, look Kyle shop break’. I pick up my phone and I called him and I told him and he asked me what and what was gone from the shop, and I asked him how he was going to ask me that,” Collins said.
“This morning [Wednesday], I was sleeping and my cousin called me, and she told me this morning somebody tried to break into Kyle’s shop, and he ended up stabbing Kyle, and he died. When I went and saw him, he was lying helpless on the ground.”
Collins said that it was only a few days ago that Solomon restocked his shop when the teen decided to strike again. She said at the time he [the thief] was caught Solomon was on the ‘look out’ to see who was committing the act.
“His shop had soft goods… when he checked the first time, he told me the person took all the milk, soap powder, all the bleach, they took four cases of beers he had in the shop and he lately buy back some stuff. He told me that somebody bought back the stuff in his shop for him”, the woman said.
Collins also expressed disbelief over the circumstances of the man’s death.
“It was somebody that we all know did it… he lives not too far from where Kyle’s body was found. The woman whose house he was killed next to, she said after she heard the commotion and peeped outside. She said the last thing she heard Kyle say was ‘wah happen, man, you gonna kill me because I catch you breaking in meh shop?’ She said the killer turn and say, ‘Yes I will eff you up’. After that, he kept stabbing him”, she said.
“It was hard because for the years I have known Kyle, he will talk his mind but he never holds malice. If you and him fall out now, and something happens, he will come out for you. Anybody wants a job, or to get a certificate or anything he will help to develop you in this community because he was a very brilliant man. Everybody in the community is grieving”.
The woman stated that she was surprised that a 16-year-old would go to the extent of killing someone older than him.
“I am very hurt, because, we parents have to know how to bring our children up, especially with the age that he have. That man was a big man and he [the suspect] supposed to be able to, if he wanted to get away, just give him one something and go your way. Now, you are young and you finish your life. When you are young and smoking, all kinds of things happen.”
Invaluable councillor
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Denise Miller said the Georgetown Mayor and City Council has lost an invaluable member.
“We have lost an invaluable councillor. Many times, he would have to stand up and represent persons. He was a councillor who you could have sit down, get ideas, get, his interest was the development of the people. And many times, if he’s not certain, he would come and say, Deputy, how do you see this? Give me your opinion”, she said.
“We’re overwhelmed right now because of not only the invaluability of the council but the fact of the community. This morning, what I’ve seen here is an outpour of sympathy, of sadness, because the people indeed in this area would have lost a councillor who was there for them, who related with them”.
Meanwhile, up to news time on Wednesday, police were still on the hunt for the suspect.
