Porter stabbed to death during argument at Vreed-en-Hoop

– Suspect on the run

A late-night stop for food turned deadly in the wee hours of Sunday when 30-year-old Toralpher Simon Harry, a porter with Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), was fatally stabbed during an argument at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

The incident unfolded at about 03:00h along the Vreed-en-Hoop Public Road, in front of the Bright Star Chinese Restaurant. Harry, of Lot 24 Best Village (Foreshore), had been returning home from the Car and Bike Show at the Leonora National Stadium with his friend, 30-year-old Naipaul Sukhdeo, when they decided to purchase hot dogs from a roadside stall.
Police reports stated that it was there that Harry reportedly became involved in a heated argument with an unidentified Venezuelan national. The exchange escalated into a scuffle, which carried both men across the southern side of the roadway near Dalga Luck Chinese Restaurant. Witnesses recounted that the suspect was armed with a knife during the altercation.
Harry, in an attempt to defend himself, removed his belt and tried to ward off the attacker. However, he was soon seen running towards the northern side of the road, blood pouring from his neck. He collapsed shortly after in front of a nearby yard.
The suspect fled the scene, boarding a minibus parked near the hot dog stand before escaping east towards the Vreed-en-Hoop junction.
Sukhdeo, who witnessed the incident, said he rushed over to his friend and observed a stab wound to Harry’s neck. With the assistance of others, the injured man was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty.
Investigators who processed the scene recovered a knife without a handle stained with what appeared to be blood, along with a brown belt believed to have been used by the deceased in his attempt to defend himself. Police also canvassed the area and confirmed the presence of several CCTV cameras that may have captured the incident and the suspect’s escape.
The body was examined, and a single stab wound was noted on the left side of the neck. Harry’s remains are now at Ezekiel Funeral Home, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspect, who remains at large.