Guyana’s national police force has confirmed a fatal stabbing that claimed the life of a local construction worker over the weekend, leaving the community of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, reeling from an act of violence that erupted between casual drinking companions.
The victim has been identified as 28-year-old Curtis Bengochea, a resident of Eight Street on Ivan Road in Soesdyke. According to official police statements released Sunday, April 19, the deadly confrontation unfolded around 10:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 18, just blocks from Bengochea’s home on First Street, Ivan Road.
Witnesses told investigators that Bengochea, the unidentified attacker, and several other people had been gathering socially to drink alcohol when a verbal dispute broke out between the two men. The argument quickly escalated into physical violence, with the suspect reportedly grabbing a knife to assault Bengochea.
The brawl spilled into a nearby drainage ditch, where the two men continued to struggle before other people at the gathering managed to separate them. By the time onlookers pulled Bengochea out of the drain, they spotted a deep puncture wound to the left side of his ribcage. The suspect immediately fled the scene on foot before law enforcement arrived, and remained at large as of the police update on Sunday.
Bengochea was rushed to the Diamond Regional Hospital for emergency care, but attending doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.
Authorities have confirmed that investigations into the killing are still ongoing, with police working to track down and apprehend the fleeing suspect. No further details on the motive for the argument or the suspect’s identity have been released to the public as of the latest update.